Fade to Black
by Bonami27
Summary: AU story set between Book One and Book Two with the addition of characters from later in the series; Korra fails to expose Amon and take down the Equalist Faction, after a botched attempt to infiltrate them at one of the rallies, which leads to Mako's capture. A year on, and after much change, the two are reunited, but not in the way any expect.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One Part One: Fade to Black

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><p>Today, Korra was dressed entirely in black.<p>

Her usual blue tank top, with the white trim, that she regularly wore, was tucked away in her closet that day. Instead she was wearing a long-sleeved shirt that covered her wrists. Loose black pants replaced the usual blue pair that contrasted with her tank. Her normally brown boots, too, were replaced by a pair exactly the same but in black.

The only thing that was not black about Korra that day were her brilliant turquoise eyes, her chocolate brown hair and her mocha coloured skin. Even her mood had taken on a dark gloom.

She was now making her way to Republic City Hall, where again she would be briefed on the current situation in the Earth Kingdom that she and the other members of the Republic City Council had been discussing for weeks now. She took a deep breath as she walked down the street towards the looming doors, smiling steadily as she walked along the street towards the ornately sculptured building, waving to people she knew, greeting them brightly, however each and every person stared at her attire, though none could find a polite way of commenting about it. Korra did not mind, in fact it was better for her if they did not ask—she did not want to have to explain to anyone why she was wearing black, it was just too painful to think about.

Despite the smiles and cheerful waves she gave people as she went, the dark feeling of gloom still rested on her shoulders. She had a good reason for wearing black that day, for it was almost exactly—

"Korra!" came an exuberant exclamation from behind her. A small smile appeared on her lips as Korra shook her head from side to side. Perhaps a dose of Bolin would be enough to keep her mind off of her sadness.

Turning her head back down the path that she had just come from, Korra saw Bolin sprinting towards her, waving energetically. A broad grin was on his kind face. He skidded to a stop in front of her and almost crashed into some people who were walking by, much to Korra's alarm. Bolin on the other hand seemed undaunted, or he simply did not notice, and looked at Korra happily.

"Hey, Kor!" he grinned.

"Hey, Bolin," she did her best to smile at him, "Why are you in such a hurry at this time of morning?"

"Oh, well…not really in a hurry," Bolin scratched the back of his head thoughtfully, "It's just that I promised Jinora, Kai, Ikki, Meelo and of course Rohan that I'd treat them to Narook's today. Asami's coming along too and I was just wondering if you wanted to come along, Kor, because you seem awfully…I don't know, _distant_ lately."

Korra began to think on Bolin's observation of her recent behavior. Had she really been that aloof that even Bolin had noticed? She grimaced slightly before replying, "You sure you want to treat all of them to Narook's? You know how much Meelo eats…"

"Yeah, you do have a point there… But that's okay. I feel I should treat them every now and then, seeing as I am still living on Air Temple Island and all. So, you going to come along?"

"Sorry, Bo," she apologised, "I have a lot of work to get through with the Council, and I don't think I'll make it out of there before midnight. You know how dragged out those meetings can be..." Not to mention that she would feel out of place; She hadn't been to visit Air Temple Island in a long time, and not seen any of the Air Benders in an even longer expanse of time. Additionally, she would rather be alone that day.

"Aw, come on Kor!" Bolin begged, "It'll be lots of fun!"

"Thanks for the offer Bolin," she shook her head a little more firmly, knowing that if she gave him an inch, he would never give up begging, "but perhaps another time. I'm just too busy. I'm really sorry that I can't come, as much as I'd like too."

"Couldn't you just skip out on _one_ meeting, Kor?"

"Definitely not, you should know that Lin would skin me alive if I even dare to pull a stunt like that _again_." she said firmly, "People are depending on me, Bo. And besides, I'm sure you don't need my company. Jinora, Kai and the other kids, you being one of them, can have a wonderful time without me."

"Korra," Bolin spoke up, "They do say, the more the merrier."

"Well, they also say that less is more," Korra laughed lightly in return, "We sure contradict ourselves, don't we? Anyway, I'm going to be late if I don't hurry. Thank you for the offer, but I'll come along next time if I'm able. See you around!"

Bolin sulked. Korra smiled a little sadly and waved before turning and walking briskly down the remainder of the street. She had wasted too much time as it was. Lin Beifong in particular was very strict when it came to being on time. I don't care if you're the Avatar or not, I'll not put up with a lack in punctuality. You'd do well to remember that, Korra' she had emphasized. Korra remembered feeling, for the time since having met the Chief of Police, a sense of fear towards her. Lin Beifong sure was intimidating.

Pushing open the doors to the meeting room, Korra greeted the faces of the other members of the council, asides from Tenzin, with the usual twitch. How she hated having to be here. And to be here almost every day was not how Korra wished to be spending her time. She shook her head firmly, not wanting to waste any more time by dwelling on the current situation regarding her daily schedule, and made her way to her allocated seat at the large desk before her.

"Good morning, Korra," one of the members, whose name currently escaped Korra, greeted her, smiling, "Lin would like to see you privately before we begin the meeting for today. You'll find her on the fourth floor, third door on the right."

"Thanks." Korra replied, instead of sitting down she made her way to the elevator. Checking the clock that was a standard installment in all elevators, she sighed in annoyance, she had only three minutes to get up to the fourth floor. The elevator seemed to be taking forever and she mashed the button on the wall impatiently. After what seemed to be an eternity, the door opened and Korra dashed inside, pushing the button for the fourth floor. She breathed a sigh as the elevator began to move upwards. Looked like it was going to be a long day.

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><p>It was damp—always damp. He hated the damp. Being a fire bender, damp always irked him, for reasons unknown even to him. It was not like it was anything new to him, it had always been dank in the underground that was the Equalist's base, and one would think that after a year of being held captive in various underground bases, he would have grown used to it. But even after that extended period of time, Mako still hated the musty smell, among other things.<p>

Perhaps it was because of the tinge of apprehension he felt that day that the smell and the feeling in the air bothered him more than ever. Amon himself had summoned him, said that he needed to speak with him over a small matter. Mako scoffed quietly to himself, he was not stupid, and Amon knew not to take Mako lightly nor that he was not fooled, and therefore had placed the room heavily under guard. Not that he couldn't deal with the guards—it was just the inconvenience of causing a ruckus, thereby bringing more Equalist lackeys after him after his attempt at escape.

Mako slammed his fist down hard onto the concrete wall next to his bed, so hard that it cracked and crumbled slightly from the force. This was _not_ how he was going to meet his end. Mako had met with his current situation after Amon had captured him just over a year ago during one of his and Korra's infiltrations of an Equalist rally in Republic City. Mako, while scared beyond what he'd be willing to admit, had been relieved when Korra had escaped the same fate as he currently found himself being a victim of.

Mako had had it all planned out: by this time, a year from when he had been taken by Amon and the Equalists he would have escaped and used whatever remaining strength and power of his own to eventually surpass the overthrow Amon, and kill him. When all that was said and done, he'd return to Republic City and, in whatever way he could, go back to his life that was surely awaiting him.

But of course his plans of escape and a coup had naturally been ruined when today Mako was called forth to 'talk' with Amon over a small matter. The small matter in question, of course, was the matter of Mako's defiance against Amon, and the consequences were unquestionably Mako would have his bending taken from him; something that he had planned to keep from happening. But he realized that at his current state, he had no chance in overthrowing Amon let alone the entirety of the Equalist faction; he could perhaps put up a decent fight, and injure Amon critically, but Mako knew that he would most likely be dead before Amon. And that of course was unacceptable.

Mako held his head in his hands, his fingers tangled in his dark locks; his jaw was clenched and a scowl was visible. It was almost time… Amon would undoubtedly have him escorted to have their little 'chat', and then Mako knew his own body and bending would be out of his control; Amon still being very much the incredible blood bender he had been the night of Mako's capture.

Standing up abruptly, Mako began to pace around the room in an irritated manner. There had to be some way out of this. He knew the only other possible matter that Amon could possibly wish to discuss with him was that he would force Mako to use his bending in order to capture the Avatar. He knew this was still very much a possiblity, he had known from the very day he'd been captured that he could be used as bait, to lure Korra into the Equalist's grasp, but of course he would do, and had done, everything in what little power he had to prevent this from happening. If there was one thing that bothered Mako more than anything else, it was being used against those he loved. He had to think of a way to get out of this situation without getting killed or having Korra captured. He refused to allow either to happen.

'_Think_!' he reprimanded himself, his fists clenching and unclenching behind his back as he paced back and forth. There must be some way of preventing either situations; there must be a way out—a way that would save Korra.

He paused and looked at his hands, flexing them slightly. There had to be a way… He closed his eyes, going over in his head why exactly Amon had kept him alive this long and what he needed him for. There were only a couple things, come to think of it. Amon wanted him because of his connection to the Avatar…aside from his fire bending skills, there was no real point in keeping him alive.

Slowly sinking to his knees on the concrete floor, he closed his eyes and sighed. The only thing he could think of allowing, was _unthinkable_. If he did, there was a good chance he would never be able to be forgiven. He could probably break his own bones if he needed, but that would only prevent Amon from temporarily baiting Korra with him. Mako grumbled to himself, pacing again, trying to think of alternative ways of escaping, but only drew up blanks.

He thought again to his first choice of action… it was so risky. To live, free of Amon and the Equalists but never be forgiven by Korra or his brother, or to be used as bargaining chip against Korra, only to have Amon take away her bending, or kill her. Either way was a no-win situation. He thought about it some more, his mind growing ever anxious as the weight of the situation crushed him. He had to make his decision, quickly.

He turned over his only other option in his head… There was always a slim possibility that he could live a fulfilling life as a non-bender…but he could see no way of ever being completely 'whole' again. He knew that if he were to do it, it had to be in a way so damaging that not even Katara could fix it. Amon could certainly help him with that.

No sooner had Mako made decision he heard it, faintly at first, but unmistakable—there were footsteps in the hall, and they were coming this way. He glanced sharply over his shoulder, then down at his hands. His heart began pounding in his chest, his brow and hands breaking into a sweat; he bit into his lip fiercely, tasting blood. His hands burst into small, contained flames, the footsteps getting louder still. He stared at the flames that were his own in his hands, as if to etch the look and feel of them into his deepest memory, his hands shaking all the while.

The footsteps were outside his door now and had stopped. He heard the voice of one of Amon's multitude of Equalist lackeys ordering the guards to open the door. There was a clinking of keys. The doorknob turning, and then he heard the slight creak of the door being opened.

With a determined resolve, Mako diminished the flames in his hands, perhaps for the last time, and allowed himself to be led to Amon. Upon arrival to the room where Amon awaited him, Mako was pinched in the side of his neck, effectively rendering him unconscious. The last thing Mako was aware of before losing consciousness was the slight sensation of pain racking his body as Amon stood before him, his hand placed on Mako's forehead. Shortly after, everything faded to black.

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><p>Well, that's the first chapter done. Let me know what you think of this new, much more morbid, fanfic!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Fade to Black; Chapter One Part Two

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><p>"You've been doing me proud recently, Korra," Beifong praised the young Avatar as she stood opposite her, "You've really come a long way since we first met. I feel I should apologise for how I treated you when we first met."<p>

"Where is this coming from, you're not going soft on me now are you, Chief?" Korra shook her head, letting out a breathy laugh, "It doesn't really suit you."

Beifong smirked slightly, standing up from her seat and putting her hand on the shoulder of the young woman before her. Korra smirked back.

"I mean it Korra," Beifong went on, "After the council meeting today, wait for me and I'll treat you to lunch."

Korra really laughed now, "Oh, this is too weird. Beifong, while I appreciate the offer, I already have plans." In reality, she just felt like being alone.

"That's a pity," Beifong stated, before turning to exit the room, "You deserve a break every now and then Korra, even I can't deny you that. Come now, let's go down to the meeting room before the other members arrive."

The way that she stated it, Korra knew that she would be unable to argue further. She smiled slightly at Lin's retreating back—Lin was a serious person and a smile was a rare thing to get out of her. Korra did feel proud that she had been praised by Lin, but that did not make her misery go away.

Slowly Korra followed behind the Chief of Police. Beifong was holding the elevator waiting for Korra and she quickly scampered over and entered, the doors closing behind her. Beifong began to make comments on the recent turmoil in the Earth Kingdom, even with the Queen in power.

"She makes others do her dirty work, extorting her own citizens for her stupid palaces and topiaries and then expects people to go along with it." Beifong was saying, "It's appalling, and reminds me somewhat of someone else I know..."

"Hm? Like who?" Lin's comment having piqued Korra's interest, though she was only half listening.

"No one of importance."

They chatted idly as they proceeded to the council chambers. She took in the room and people before her. When she was just about to take her seat, Korra felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Korra."

Turning her head to the sound of the voice, she was met with a concerned look from Lin Beifong, who was staring at her student in a perceptive manner, "Yes, Lin?"

"Tell me," she said, dropping her hand from Korra's shoulder, "why you are wearing black today."

It was not a question, it was an order; the tone stated that she could not refuse answering. Korra blinked for a moment, then opened her mouth, carefully choosing her words, "Well, it's nice to have a change of clothing every now and then. And the fact that my usual choice of attire gets dirty during training, I thought perhaps black would hide the grime a little more. Then at least I could walk around without looking disgraceful."

"I see," Beifong replied, sounding skeptical. "You just felt like wearing all black today so that you wouldn't get dirty, and since when has that mattered to you?"

"Well, I…"

"Korra," Beifong's voice was in a warning tone; Korra knew that the Chief of Police did not like to be lied to.

Looking down at her hands that she hadn't realised had begun to shake, Korra hung her head. She spoke quietly when she finally managed to open her mouth, having difficulty choking out the words, "It's been a year since my failed attempt to overthrow Amon and the Equalists. Today marks a year since Mako was captured… "

The words died on her mouth; unable to force them out, she did not even bother to try and speak further.

"I see…" Beifong swallowed, "You know, Korra, the chances of us being able to rescue him were reduced to almost zero as soon as he was captured. The chances of us being able to locate him, are even less. I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but you must have realised this by now."

"I know," Korra murmured quietly, "But as long as there is breath left in my body, I will not give up on trying to find him."

"Korra," Beifong spoke sharply, "We have done everything we can to find him."

"Lin, of all the people I know, you are the one who I thought would never give up on Mako," she spoke quietly, "Isn't he like a son to you? Surely you have at least a shred of hope that we'll find him."

"A shred is a very small thing, Korra," Beifong replied tersely, "Mako's fate has been out of our hands for quite some time now. I suggest that you get your mourning over with quickly, so that you are able to focus on things more important than lost comrades."

Korra didn't respond. Despite Beifong telling her to do otherwise, she would not give up on Mako, nor what she ever forget about him; he was her first love, her last love, her _only _love. Not wanting to look Beifong at the moment, she wracked her mind to for things to talk about other than Mako. Korra could find nothing to say; her mind was so burdened. She found the silence awkward, even though it had only lasted a couple of seconds.

Mercifully, as if by some unknown force, Tenzin seemed to appear out of now where, brandishing a large stack of papers in the Chief of Police's face.

"Lin! Korra! I have _finally_ found the pair of you!" Tenzin reprimanded the women, clearly flustered. Korra looked up slightly at the middle aged man, who looked like he had combed the city over twice before finding the troublesome pair, "Why are you standing over here? We have a meeting to get through and all of this paperwork to sign!"

"Calm down Tenzin, I was going to get around to them…"

"Korra this is serious." Tenzin retorted in a frustrated manner.

Korra made her way over to her allocated seat at the council members table, sitting down with a heavy sigh. "Fine, fine! Just stop badgering me! Let's just get on with the meeting shall we?"

Beifong nodded mutely and took her seat next to a very agitated Tenzin.

Beifong's words had hit her painfully, and she knew in her heart she could never do what the woman asked. She could never give up on Mako…_ever_.

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><p>It was a very angry Lieutenant who was dragging him along the musty hall; that was all Mako could make out in his current haze. His entire body hurt like the fires of hell had entered them; only once before had he experienced this kind of pain, and that was the day that he had been captured by Amon and the Equalist faction.<p>

Blood was running over his face and into his nose and mouth, he could taste and smell it distinctly. He was crying out in pain; he could hear himself yelling out, even though he was not consciously aware that he was actually doing so. He struggled slightly, his body burning, but he was too weak from loss of blood to put up a fight. He didn't know what would happen to him now, but he did not care, it had been his choice to allow Amon to take away his bending, and as it turns out, torture him. He could end up a dead man either way, but even as a nonbender, he could at least have a chance of survival.

There was a creak as the door to Amon's chamber opened, and Mako was dumped unceremoniously down on the ground, at what he assumed was at Amon's feet.

"Amon," the Lieutenant stated in an important tone, though Mako could hear a faint tremble in his voice. "I did what you asked."

There was a scuffling, and the rustle of clothes and Mako found his chin being nudged by someone's foot, in an investigative manner. Mako had his eyelids shut tight, as though the pain would dissipate by doing so. The foot dropped away then kicked his shoulder hard; Mako merely winced, as the pain was nothing compared to the burning of his body.

"You're a fool, Mako." came Amon's deep voice, near his head. The voice was low, but it dripped with anger and loathing, like poison from the fangs of a snake, "Did you really think that I would spare you?"

Keeping his mouth tightly shut, only emitting groans of pain, Mako did not reply, knowing that in order to live he had to play his cards carefully. He felt Amon rustle past him and over to the other side of him.

"Lieutenant," the voice was still deadly, "I asked you to punish him, not beat him within an inch of his life. Can he be healed?"

Someone, most likely the Lieutenant, kicked him over onto his back, and the warm breath he felt on his face suggested that someone was examining him. A hand grabbed his chin roughly and held his lolling head still. There was a pause, then the hand and breath receded, allowing Mako to curl up on the floor.

"I could heal his wounds, but he will never be able to bend again," came the Lieutenant's serious voice, a slightly nervous tone laced uncertainly into it.

There was a long pause, and the tension was laid so heavily in the room that it could have been cut with a kunai, "I see."

"What would you like me to do?" the Lieutenant asked as rustling fabric made its way away from Mako's injured form.

There was another long pause, "Make sure he is again, duly punished, and then dump his body in the woods."

"Would you like him killed?" the Lieutenant asked.

"It matters not, with the amount of blood he's lost, he will die soon," Amon replied, "Make sure his last moments are painful."

"Would you like his memory erased?"

Another pause, "In the unlikely event that he does survive, remove only the important parts."

"Yes, Amon," there was a rustle of fabric as the Lieutenant passed by Mako, then another rustle. The voice was projected in another direction as the Lieutenant spoke again, "You, take him back to his cell, I will be there shortly."

"As for you, Lieutenant," Amon's voice grew fainter as Mako was dimly aware of him being dragged away, "We have to discuss your carelessness in the manner of Mako getting injured in such a manner."

Mako could not make out the Lieutenant's response as his mind hazed, and he lost all consciousness.

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><p>Part Two of Chapter One. I feel it gives a little more clarity on the circumstances of both Mako and Korra and the situation in which they find themselves.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Fade to Black: Chapter Two

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><p>Let's stop for a break," Kai announced, as he held flopped down onto the ground.<p>

"What, again?" Jinora exclaimed impatiently, sighing heavily, "This is the second time since we've completed our mission. We should rest emafter /emwe've informed the Council that we've done what we were supposed to!"

Kai cast a glance at her as he took out a steamed bun from the satchel Pema had given to him earlier that week. He leaned leisurely up against a tree, "There's no hurry, Jinora."

"Another steamed bun?" Jinora rolled her eyes despairingly, her shoulders sagged, "You know, you're going to get a stomach ache."

"Well, it didn't get in the way of our mission, did it?" Kai replied, a lazy grin on his face as he took a bite of bun.

"No, but I would assume informing the council of our success is more important that your constant need to eat," Jinora retorted, but only got a shrug from her crush. She groaned loudly and looked over at Lin Beifong, the leader of their current expedition, who had been silent during the ordeal, "Sorry..."

"It's okay, Jinora," Lin commented, jotting notes down in her leather bound note book, "Kai's right, we have a lot of time to get back, we don't need to be hasty."

Jinora narrowed her eyes in annoyance at Kai, who simply grinned back at her. Turning back to Lin before continuing, "I know that we have plenty of time before the cut off time of the mission my father tasked us with, but there's nothing wrong with reporting in early, right?"

Lin patted Jinora's shoulder in understanding, "We'll get going soon, so just take a break. You'll need all your energy for the trek back to Republic City."

Jinora turned away from Lin before groaning in increased frustration. All she wanted was to inform her father and the other council members that there were no issues with security on the outskirts of the city, "You know what, I'm going to go out and scout the area."

"Whatever for?" Kai piqued in, his mouth full of steamed bun, "Nobody's chasing us."

"I'm not putting the time of this break to waste, that's all," she retorted smugly. She leapt up to a branch in a tall tree before pausing and turning to her companions, "I'll astral project myself if anything happens to me."

"Like anything's going to happen," muttered Kai to himself, as Jinora left the vicinity.

* * *

><p>Korra walked home after another long day of meetings at city hall. She had met Asami at lunchtime and spent the time chatting with her friend, asking how the lunch at Narook's had been the previous day. Apparently they had all had a wonderful time, even though Meelo ended up spilling his bowl of noodles all over the table. Korra had smiled then, that was your typical Meelo—so clumsy.<p>

Asami had also said that it was too bad that Korra couldn't make it and expressed concerns over whether they were working her too hard with all those meetings. With a warm smile and a shake of the head Korra replied that the workload wasn't too bad, and also said that she would come for Narook's the next time they all went out. Truly she was touched by her friend's concern for her, and she felt a little guilty about using her Avatar duties as an excuse, seeing as she hadn't been kept late at all.

Tenzin had actually let her out early. Admittedly she hadn't had much of a breather—she'd been asked if she were able to spare some time to heal patients at the local hospital. Despite her fatigue, she had not gone home to rest, but rather had wandered around town the rest of the evening, letting her depression envelop her. She found herself wandering to places where she had strong memories of Mako—the probending area where they had first met, the park they had visited the night Bolin had gone missing and the gazebo where they'd shared their first, rather abrasive, kiss…

Despite her wanderings, she avoided Narook's, fearing that she may be spotted, and draw on unwanted company. Lost in thought, she found herself drawn to the lower end of town, where she had spent many a day and night with Mako and Bolin in their old apartment. In the year in which Mako had been gone, no new tenants had taken on the place. It was one of the only places in the city that had remained unchanged. Korra had heard, though she could not remember where, that the building was to be in the upcoming future. Looking up at the beautiful apartment building, she swore to herself that she would buy the house if need be; she would never let anyone else inhabit it—for that would confirm that Mako was gone. His memory forever erased from Republic City.

Gloom had clouded her eyes as she looked up at the traditional architecture; the weather over the past year and the time in which it had been uninhabited had taken its toll as the fine-looking construction was now falling into disrepair. Without even thinking about it, Korra had waited until nobody was paying attention to her before slipping quietly around the side of the building, to find a back entrance. The reason behind her desire to enter the empty apartment eluded even her, as she clambered through the overgrown garden and up onto the upper floor.

Eventually, with a piece of stiff wire, she managed to pick open the lock on the back door and enter the empty structure. There had been a thick layer of dust on everything, showing that the place had remained untouched, Bolin not having the emotional strength to pay his old home a visit. Having been such a long time since she was last inside the old apartment, Korra found herself drifting about the place, looking at the different things in the deserted rooms, but not laying a finger on anything.

It wasn't until that she found an old broom in the corner of the kitchen that she laid hands on any of Mako's belongings. Grabbing it slowly, she had begun to sweep out the thick layer of dusk from the kitchen.

'_For when he comes back'_, she had told herself silently, not knowing when or even if, he would return.

It was the broom that had started it—sweeping the kitchen had soon become sweeping out the entire apartment, and when she found an old rag hanging on the lip of a bucket, she proceeded to dust every shelf and object she found. When that task was finished, she washed all the dishes of dust, and cleaned out the cupboards, getting rid of the food that had long since spoiled and sorted the non-perishables into canned and packaged groups. After that, she came across the dusty sheets in the small linen press and promptly washed them all, even going as far as to remake the beds.

After the entire apartment had been cleaned, Korra hauled herself home and collapsed into her bed, exhausted. She had done it: she had cleaned the entire apartment. And it wasn't until she had fallen asleep, that she realised she had done the enormous chore for no one.

* * *

><p>Jinora glided through the air, making a rough perimeter around the area where she had left her two comrades. In all honesty, she couldn't believe Kai sometimes—sure they had completed their mission, but that gave them no reason to wander lazily back to Republic City, taking the time to smell the flowers along the way. Sometimes she really wondered how serious he was about becoming an air bender.<p>

Alighting neatly on a sturdy branch that was several feet above the ground, Jinora surveyed the area. There was absolutely nothing to hint that there was a remote possibility that they'd be attacked by anything. Looking about she wondered dimly why she was even bothering—the setting was completely off for an attack, what with the sun shining brightly overhead, and the birds twittering cheerfully. Two blue jays had even fluttered by her while she scouted for an enemy that clearly didn't exist.

This was ridiculous; they should have just kept on going, Kai's steamed bun addiction or no.

Inhaling deeply in order to let out a heavy sigh, Jinora caught the fragrances that hung in the air. There was a heavy scent of wildflowers, mixed with a splash of fresh green grass, containing the smell of new leaves on the trees. She paused in the middle of her sigh and simply smiled; how she enjoyed the season of spring.

About to leap into the air again, she halted briefly…they were still on break, and there was time left—there really was no point in continuing scouting, so she might as well do what Lin had suggested she do: relax. If she had been made team leader, this never would have happened. Looking about the area again with her hazel orbs, she made sure they were not in any danger—though it was already obvious they weren't—before resting down on the branch, her legs dangling. She decided to let herself be pampered by the break, though she would never hear the end of it if she let Kai find out.

Closing her eyes and focusing, her sense of smell became enhanced, as she let the delicate scents wash over her like a perfume. It was the smell of spring and she marveled at the acuteness at which she could distinguish the smells. She was even able to pick out the names of a few individual scents, based on the fragrances she smelled, and probably would have been able to name more if she had known what the flowers look like.

The cool breeze shifted slightly in direction and a new wave of smells washed over Jinora—the smell of budding flowers, a touch of moist earth, and faintly, the unmistakable smell of a flowering fire lily bush. Slowly, a new odour wove its way into her nose—an unpleasant, metallic-like odour. It was so sharp in comparison to the other smells that she wondered why she had not noticed it earlier. A deep frown creased her brow, her hazel eyes flying open. She knew that smell only too well. It was the scent of blood.

* * *

><p>Korra's nights after the conversation with Lin had been filled with nightmares from her botched attempt at overthrowing the Equalist faction; last night had been no different. The next day, thankfully, had been entirely uneventful, allowing her tiredness not to interfere with any serious task that she may have needed to tackle. Korra had decided to spend her time at the hospital and of the patients that had come in that day to be seen, Korra had only healed the scraped knee of a little boy, dealt with a sprained ankle and helped an old lady who had fallen and fractured her hip. As Korra trudged home from the hospital she hardly felt tired at all.<p>

The sky wasn't even dark as she left the hospital—one of the nurses had told her to go home early again, and get some rest, as the hospital wanted Korra available and fully energised in case there was anything nasty that happened to crop up. Korra had debated with herself whether to return to Mako's apartment, but decided against it. The place was clean; there was nothing for her to do there.

Dragging her feet, Korra wandered home, going mostly on autopilot; as there was nothing to do, there was nothing to keep Korra's thoughts from becoming a little morbid. That was where she was now, in the deepest recesses of her mind, despairing over the loss of Mako.

"Is that you, Uh-Vatar?"

Korra looked up with a small smile on her face, ready to fool whoever was greeting her into thinking that she was not as miserable as she felt, but her face quickly fell again as she found out the caller of her name. It was Tahno, standing outside a clothes store, taking down the display of the season's latest fashion accessories that were displayed outside the door.

"What do you want, Tahno?" she asked heavily, not in the mood for arguing.

Tahno gave a smirk, "Sorry, Uh-Vatar, didn't know I wasn't allowed to ask what was getting you down."

Korra sighed and rubbed her temples, a slight headache coming on, "It's nothing…nothing I'd expect _you _to remember anyway."

Tahno rested his hands on his hips and frowned a little, "Care to share?"

"Not really," was Korra's blunt reply before she started walking again.

"I'm betting it has something to do with why you're wearing black," Tahno remarked snidely, as Korra drew level with him, "Who died?"

Korra came to an abrupt stop, her feet suddenly refusing to move. Wisps of her chocolate coloured hair dangled in front of her turquoise eyes, hiding the tears that were forming as her head was hung dolefully.

"Nobody died," Korra whispered quietly, refusing to look at Tahno, "Just please leave me alone today."

Stepping nimbly in front of Korra with his arms stretched wide, Tahno blocked the path as Korra took a step forward. "Tell me, Korra."

Again, like Lin's tone, it was an order, not a request, spoken in a way that could not be argued against. With a quiet exhalation, Korra replied quietly, "It's been a year to the day, as of three days ago, that Mako was captured."

Tahno, whose arms were still stretched out wide, slowly dropped them to the side, looking worriedly at the girl whom he had once considered his rival.

"That means that could anything…" Korra continued without being asked to do so, "He could have been tortured, have had his bending taken away…"

A tear fell off the end of her nose and landed with a quiet drip on the ground. Hugging her black covered arms, she tried to let the midnight folds encompass her—make her disappear.

"I need to go home, Tahno," she said shakily, "I need my strength for tomorrow, you know?"

Tahno did not even raise a finger to stop Korra as she passed by him, but stared after her, not sure what to do, if there _was_ something he could do. Quietly and quickly Korra headed up the street, slipping past her mother in the kitchen unnoticed, and up the stairs to her bedroom. Tahno would probably cause her a world of trouble now that she had revealed the reason behind her mourning, but Korra simply failed to care.

Gingerly she picked up the photo frame that held the picture of Team Avatar. It was the only picture she had of him, the only reminder of a happy time long past. She hugged the photo close to her heart, and lay down on the bed, letting the tears run silently down her face.

* * *

><p>Jinora had quickly leapt into the air at the smell of the blood, and made her way across the terrain quickly, following the scent as quickly as she could before the wind changed directions. The energy that she had concentrated in her nose was dismissed as the smell became overwhelming—now, even without her enhanced senses, she could find the odour distinctly in the air, and soon a small thin trail of blood could be seen on the forest floor.<p>

Leaping from branch to branch she followed it, noting how it was straight in direction, like something had dragged the injured being. The straight trail then ended in a pool of blood, and Jinora dropped down to the ground, touching the red liquid experimentally. It was sticky and partially dried; whatever had been there had only been there a few hours earlier. The trail of blood then continued through the forest, except it was now splattered in a wavering line. Whatever had been bleeding had either escaped, or had been left to die and had struggled onward regardless.

Despite the age of the blood, and the amount lost, there was still a small chance that whatever it was, or whoever it was, was still alive somewhere. Of course it could be the blood of an injured animal, but it was good just to be sure—it might save someone's life.

Quickly, she ran after the trail of blood, following it for a while on the forest floor; it was thinner than before, like some of the bleeding had stopped, and the blood only pooled where the victim had stopped to rest. Jinora jumped over a tree root, side stepped a branch, and almost tripped, as the forest seem to cut off abruptly before her into a clearing.

The trail of blood continued into the clearing, where Jinora saw it disappear into the long grass. She looked about the clearing for anything that was potentially dangerous and marveled at the sight. A large, fully-grown fire lily bush grew in the middle of the field on the top of a smallish hill—this must have been the bush that she had caught the scent of earlier, before she smelt the blood.

Having decided that there was no immediate danger, Jinora crept forward, brushing aside the grasses, keeping an eye on the trail of blood. Whatever it was, despite the severe injuries it had suffered, had managed to haul itself up the hill. Jinora trudged up the side, and saw the path of blood disappear around the side of the fire lily bush, where it most likely continued down the other side of the hill.

She walked slowly up to the bush and allowed her hand to brush up against one of the red flowers. Peering around the bush, she jumped back in surprise—the trail of blood had ended, to reveal crumpled figure at its base. Jinora clutched at her beating heart—she had not expected there to be anything at all.

Throwing aside her fear, she quickly knelt down next to the figure. A boy—no, a young man—around his mid-late teens, perhaps even early twenties, was sprawled out at the in the middle of the bush. His dark hair was matted with blood, along with the clothing he wore. His chin was resting on his chest, and his longish hair covered his face. The left arm was broken and bent at a grotesque angle; both arms were covered with numerous cuts and burn marks and his clothing was torn to shreds. Some of the petals from the fire lily bush had drifted across in the breeze and landed on his unconscious form, creating a poetic and grotesque juxtaposition. Jinora felt pity in her heart—he was so young to die so soon.

A slight movement caught her eye, as she was about to leave, feeling grim from the sight—she thought she saw the young man's chest rise and fall faintly, like he was taking a shallow breath. Perhaps it was just his clothes fluttering in the wind, but nonetheless Jinora reached out to find a pulse at his neck. Much to her surprise and wonder, she found one, thumping weakly against her fingers—it was a miracle he was alive.

Taking a meditative stance, she used her astral projection to get through to her comrades, "Lin, Kai—there's something you should see."

"Gotcha, what's up?" came Kai's voice.

"Just come!" Jinora replied in a frustrated manner, "I'm northwest of your position by about a click. Look for me in the middle of a flowering fire lily bush."

"We'll be there soon," came Lin's voice.

Snapping out of her meditative state, Jinora turned and lifted the boy's right arm. Her healing abilities were limited at best, but at least she could bandage the wounds on his arms and legs while she waited. Maybe if the two of them did not come quickly she would set his arm in a sling. Taking out a small salve out of the pouch on her back, and opening her water bottle, she began to clean and dress his wounds. She wished Linand Kai would hurry—again, it was almost a miracle that the young man was alive after how far he dragged himself through the woods. But miracle or no, if she did not hurry to assist him, he could die regardless of her efforts.

A rustle came from behind her and Lin and Kai appeared at the young man's side, bending down to examine him.

"Glad you came," she said turning to them, "He's still alive. Kai, can you help me set his arm?"

Kai nodded dumbly as he took the boy's arm gently in his hands. He held the two parts of the arm in his hands before speaking, "What happened to him…?"

"I don't know, but regardless of who or what did this to him, if we don't act fast, he'll die. If we get a reaction from setting his arm then there's chance he might live, opposed to no reaction, which would mean he's a dead man."

Kai nodded as Jinora readied a long bandage while Lin found a branch to use as a splint. Kai turned the broken arm in his hands, bringing the two pieces together—Lin and Kai watched the young man anxiously for a reaction, and both breathed a sigh of relief as a painful groan came from the unconscious figure. His head lolled slightly to the side, and rested on his right shoulder, a fire lily petal drifted across and landed on his forehead. Jinora blinked at the state of his face.

A long gash ran across forehead, very near to his eyes, and the blood from that wound had run down his face and dried. There were burns and cuts on his forehead and cheeks, and they looked dirty and painful. Not having payed much attention to the mans physical appearance up until now, Jinora took the time to take in the young mans face. He was very handsome, a sharp jawline and, despite the blood and dirt currently streaked across his skin, Jinora could tell the young mans complexion was unblemished. The one thing Jinora did note that was quite unusual were the young mans eyesbrows. _His eyebrows_. Jinora's eyes widened as the boy's identity became apparent to her. She opened her mouth to speak, but Lin beat her to it.

"Spirits," she remarked quietly in shock, "It's Mako."

* * *

><p>It was 1:00 a.m. when Korra's mother shook her hastily awake. Sitting up groggily, she murmured an incoherent question as she winced at her sore back. The position she had fallen asleep in had been very uncomfortable and as a result she was stiff and sore all over. Her fingers had also evidently stiffened as well as she had trouble prying them off the frame that she was still clutching in her arms. When she set the photo aside, she faced her patient mother, who was standing worriedly above her.<p>

"What's the matter?" Korra asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"It's the people from the hospital," her mother said in a serious tone, "They were given specific instructions to come and bring you to the hospital. Apparently an emergency case just arrived and Katara is there and requires your assistance."

In an instant Korra was awake and running down the stairs, taking three at a time. Her mother was yelling something after her from the top of the stairs as Korra pulled on her fur pelt.

"They said they wouldn't have come if Katara hadn't specifically requested—" her mother was abruptly cut off as Korra slammed the door behind her. She did not stop moving as she exited, but ran as quickly as she could in the direction of the hospital. No later than five minutes later, Korra burst through the entrance to the hospital, where she was met by Aang and Katara's daughter, Kya.

"What's the situation?" Korra asked, not wanting to waste any times on explanations. If it was emergency enough to call her awake at night like this, she could not afford to waste any time. She had only been called out twice before in the previous year, and she knew she had to be ready the instant they called. She had understood this before she became a fully-fledged healer—she had to be able to sacrifice her own well being for the sake of someone else. That went without saying.

"I don't know," Kya replied uncertainly, "I was just told to get you. I was not informed on current events. I do believe it has to do with the group of people that came in a few minutes ago."

"Who?" Korra asked as they began to run up the hospital's many steps.

"Chief Beifong, Kai and Jinora," replied Kya, as Korra ran for the stairs, ignoring the slow elevator, "Second floor, room two hundred twenty one!"

Korra practically flew up the stairs and down the hall, rushing noisily into the designated room as she flung the doors wide. '_Oh Spirits, please don't be Jinora'_. The sight before her had her worried—not only was Katara bent over the patient in deep concentration, but she was surrounded by advanced healers, who Korra had become acquainted with during her time as a healer, were all working on the patient too. As soon as Korra entered, Katara looked up at her.

"Korra, help me heal the wounds on his legs," one of the healers barked at her—Katara was in deep concentration, and Korra realised that she was not to be interrupted.

'His_ legs? Is it Kai?_

Quickly she dashed over to Katara's side and began peeling away the makeshift bandages that had been applied, gasping at the sight. There were deep gashes and dangerous burns all along the left leg, and glancing over at the work that the Kya, who had entered the room shortly after herself, was now doing. The young mans other leg appeared in the same condition. Without a second thought, Korra began to bend the spirit water to form in her hands, guiding it and controlling it with a slight twist that she had added as her own technique. The cuts and burns were easy enough to heal, but the patient seemed near death.

She glanced up towards the head and torso of the figure for a brief moment, seeing how severe the rest of the wounds were. The other healers were working on repairing a broken arm, while Katara held both hands extended over the patient's head. Her long sleeves dangled down, making it impossible for Korra to see the face.

'_If it's not Kai…Who is it?'_

Turning her attention back to her task, she focused on restoring the wounds. The quick glance she had taken also revealed a bag of blood hanging near the head of the bed, dripping the red fluid into the patient's veins. Korra knew if she could heal the wounds, the patient would lose less blood.

Slowly she moved her hands up the leg, healing each wound with care, being sure that there was not a scar left on the patient's body. When she reached the knee, the other healers, who had just finished mending the broken arm, took over. Korra took a split second breather before taking the newly mended arm, ridding it of the cuts and burns.

Hours dragged by, but to the apprehensive young Avatar, it seemed to take years. Sweat beaded her brow, but she remained committed to her task—she felt that if she were able to heal as many people as she could, become stronger as a healer, then perhaps one day she would be as well recognised as a healer as her Master, Katara. She had to save this young man, even if she did not know who he was, because each life saved strengthened her, and for each life lost, she strove harder the next time.

The group of healers, including herself and Kya, worked tirelessly over the young man and were eventually finished healing his body. Only Katara remained, her energy focused on the young man's head.

Korra left the bedside, knowing there was nothing more she could do to help. Splashing cold water on her face, she knew that only Katara could fix whatever wounds remained. Kya came and stood beside Korra as they watched the healing master hard at work.

"What happened?" Korra asked, rubbing her face dry.

"I'm not sure," Kya murmured quietly, "But Lin team came in with him in that terrible state—barely alive. Apparently they found him on the way back from their mission."

Korra nodded and hoped that whoever the young man was, that he would be okay.

"Come," Kya said, beckoning Korra to follow, "We shouldn't disturb my mother right now. There's nothing more we can do to help anyway, so we had best leave her in peace."

Korra nodded numbly as she followed Kya from the small room, feeling utterly and completely exhausted.


	4. Chapter 4

Fade to Black: Chapter Three

* * *

><p>It wasn't until late the next morning that Korra pushed open the doors to the local hospital, still feeling drained from the night before. She dragged her feet through the entrance, not really wanting to work that day.<p>

"Hey, Korra," Kya greeted as she approached the young Avatar, "My mother is waiting for you in the office upstairs."

"Hey, Kya," Korra yawned, the lack of sleep not helping her be rid of her exhaustion.

"I hope you slept well," Kya said, leading Korra along to the elevator, clutching a stack of papers close to her chest, "I can't imagine that you had an easy time of it after last night. I'm amazed that you could remain so calm during the procedure."

Following Kya as they entered the elevator, Korra was too tired to even ask what Kya was talking about. The words themselves made sense, but she could not see how they applied to her. She had seen people in worse condition than the young man the previous night—she had seen people die as she continued to heal them, struggling to keep them alive even though she knew it was futile. Katara had always said that she had to recognise when to give up, but Korra could not bear the thought of quitting. That aside, it was needless to say that she was not squeamish around blood or injuries, and she wondered why Kya was so proud of her all of a sudden.

"I know that if it had been me in your position, I wouldn't be able to handle it," she said as she continued as the elevator rumbled slowly upward, "My mother is filling out the paperwork in the office down the hall. Please come with me."

Korra, who had opened her mouth to ask what Kya was going on about, shut it as the elevator doors opened and she was required to match the young woman's brisk pace as they marched down the white walled hallway.

* * *

><p>The moment he woke, he was met with a feeling of fogginess. Understandably, Mako had been placed under heavy sedation and despite the fact that he knew that he would not wake to anything else; it still took him a little time to register what had happened to him. He first noticed the dull throbbing in his body, which he supposed was an improvement to the burning pain he had felt just days prior. His left arm was tingling slightly, but it was no longer hurting. Dimly he tried to remember what happened, and where he was.<p>

He remembered the pain clearly—he was unsure of how he had been tortured, but he knew that he had been put under the method by some strange techniques he had never heard of. Whatever it had been, he felt lucky that he had even survived it, as it had been so excruciating. After that, he could dimly remember being carried, more like dragged, into the forest and left out there to die. The memories leading up to that event and the memories following were a little hazy, but he recalled the fire lily bush—the smell had been pungent, seeming like a haven amidst all the agony he felt, and lying in the foliage, he had prepared himself to die. Much to his dismay he found himself alive, lying in a foreign location, having no recollection of how he got there or why he had been rescued.

The pungent aroma that was in the air was far from pleasant, but it was enough for him to realise he was most likely in a hospital, or some other medical facility, which would account for the sudden disappearance of his wounds. But while the information was somewhat helpful, it still did not help him understand where the medical facility was, or even what part of the United Republic he was in.

Mako sat up slowly, trying to gather information from what he knew of the surrounding area, his vision still blurry and his head still groggy due to the sedative drugs. He dimly recognised the room he was currently in, knowing it was a room of one of Republic City's smaller, and more private, local hospitals. Lying back down in the bed Mako allowed his current situation to sink in, really take it—He'd never, not for a day, considered that he would end up back here, not unless by some kind of miracle, which clearly his rescue and revival had been.

Mako closed his weary eyes and listened carefully—he would have to wait until someone came and checked on him before he could get some answers. He lay quietly, knowing his expression probably looked grim, but there was little he could do about his situation—the only thing he could do was wait.

* * *

><p>Korra and Kya flung open the doors to the small room where Katara was awaiting them patiently. The room in question was a small lounge, which the hospital staff and healers used during their scheduled breaks—Korra had only been there a couple times, because normally she was too busy to take it easy. When they entered, Katara could be seen sitting on one of the lounges, bent over some paperwork that she had spread out on a coffee table.<p>

"Ah, Korra," Katara looked up from the form she was filling out in front of her, taking a sip of tea as she did so.

Katara indicated that Korra should take a seat, while Kya stood attentively next to the doorway. Trying not to yawn, Korra made her way over and sat down comfortably on the lounge across from Katara, uttering a quick "good morning".

"You must have been exhausted," Katara remarked, looking at Korra's disheveled appearance. Her black clothes may have made her appear slightly more poised, but it also accented Korra's fatigue, "I had expected that you would have refused to leave last night, or at least shown up at the crack of dawn this morning."

Korra raised an eyebrow and inquired, "Katara, why on earth would I want to stay _here_ the entire night? Hospitals aren't exactly my favourite place to be, you know."

Katara looked over at Korra with an astonished look on her face, "I thought you would have been worried about him."

"About the patient last night?" Korra asked quizzically, peering at her healing mentor, "Is there any particular reason why I would be worried about him?"

Katara and Kya looked at each other, before looking back to Korra. "Didn't you recognise who we were healing last night?" Katara sounded surprised.

A little seed of worry sprouted somewhere in her dim and tired mind, her heart beginning to pound against her chest. Had it been someone she knew? What if it had been her father? Or her younger cousin, and she hadn't realized? Attentiveness began to return as she spoke her response.

"No…the sleeves of your coat blocked my view of his face," she said, a frown creasing her weary brow.

Katara put down her cup of tea then proceeded to put her fingertips together in a thoughtful manner. "So all this time you didn't know who—? No wonder you left and slept in! Oh well, it probably was for the better that you didn't know…you probably would have been unable to rest otherwise."

"Yeah well, as you can probably make out from my current appearance, I didn't really get much rest as it is." Korra bit her lip nervously, her drowsiness quickly fading, "Are you going to tell me who was unconscious and knocking on deaths door last night?"

A deep sigh. "Perhaps you had better sit down—" Katara began to say.

"Yeah… I'm already sitting down, Katara," Korra interrupted.

"Oh, right…well…" the healer took another sip of her tea, "This may come as a shock to you, Korra, but the young man we were working so hard to keep alive last night…was Mako."

Korra suddenly leapt to her feet, her turquoise eyes wide, her throat going dry. Any grogginess still left was instantly evaporated, "_Was_?"

_"Is!"_ Katara corrected hurried as she saw the look of horror on Korra's face, "Spirits, Korra, we didn't work so hard only to let him d—Kya!"

Korra had made a dash for the door, but as the aging healer called out to her daughter, Kya stepped in front of her and blocked her path. Korra skidded to a halt and glared at Kya, then turned her head to look at Katara, her eyes taking on a pleading look.

"Let me pass," she begged through the tears that threatened to escape her, her voice almost inaudible, "Please, let me go and see him!"

"Sit down, Korra," Katara motioned for the young Avatar to do so.

"Katara..."

"Korra." Katara's voice was harsher now, a warning tone concealed in the edge of her intonation.

Reluctantly, and completely against her will, Korra trudged back to the lounge and plopped herself onto it, her head hanging in her hands. "Why can't I see him?" she whispered.

"Oh, you can," Katara replied patiently, lacing her fingers together and resting them in her lap, "I just have a couple of important things I need to discuss with before hand It won't take long."

"Like what?" Korra raised her head. Katara could see the tears beginning to gather in Korra's eyes.

"Korra, you firstly have to realise that the Mako lying in that bed on the second floor may not be the Mako that you knew just a year ago," Katara replied with admirable patience, "Amon could have done any number of things to him, meaning his current mental state could be unstable; though the preliminary tests that we ran when he was unconscious seem to suggest otherwise. I am concerned for your well fare, that is all Korra." Katara gave a moment for Korra to process this before continuing, "The second matter that I wish to discuss with you is the extent of Mako's injuries. Mako has suffered a major injury to both his arms and hands, which I expect you could not see from your angle."

Korra was suddenly anxious, "What are you implying, Katara?"

"I managed to clean up and heal most of it, and there should be no scars left from the incident, however…" Katara unlaced her fingers from where they lay in her lap, and rested them on her knees, bending over and looking at Korra directly before saying, "Korra…Mako has lost his bending."

There was a very long, silent pause. A small trembling began to tingle in Korra's fingers, and then her arms started to shake. Her voice cracked when she said, "Is there nothing you can do to heal him?"

Katara shook her head slowly from side to side in an apologetic and melancholy manner, "Nothing with my healing abilities. I wish I could help him, but there is nothing more I can do for him."

"Will he ever be able to bend again?"

"Perhaps if you yourself tried restoring his bending, then yes; Mako may regain his bending ability, but it hasn't always worked, has it Korra?" was her mentor's grim response.

_"May_ regain his bending?" Korra echoed faintly, "What are his chances?"

"We're talking less than four percent," Katara replied, "His injuries were beyond anything I've ever dealt with before."

Korra fell silent, staring at her hands lying in her lap. What had happened to Mako? Who had done this to him? How could someone as skilled as he was lose his bending? Sadness washed over her as she empathised with him, so much that it hurt her to think of the suffering he must have gone through, the frustration of having his bending taken from him.

"Lastly there is the matter of him needing to adjust to his current state," Katara said, turning and looking out the window, "it will be difficult for him to accept that he may never bend again. I believe he could benefit from being around someone who has been in the same situation that he now finds himself in."

"Meaning?" Korra asked, frowning slightly. "I mean, is there any particular reason why you are brining these things to my attention?" Korra asked wearily, desperately wanting to go and see Mako.

"Yes. It goes without me saying that I would like you, Korra, to be there during Mako's recuperation," Katara explained, looking over at her Korra passively, "I also want you to be the one to interrogate him on any information he has on Amon."

Korra looked at her mentor in an aghast manner, "What?! Why me? Shouldn't Lin be the one to ask him those things? And… so soon? He's only just been bought back."

"Don't worry—the interrogation will be torture-free, he has suffered enough torture already," Katara replied, waving her hand dismissively before Korra could question Katara's sense of humor, "What I was hoping, was a state of mental interrogation—in which you will find out what happened to him, afterwards he will be submitted to further questioning by someone else, Lin most likely. But at the moment, you know Mako better than anyone in this city, more so than even his own brother, and while you haven't seen him in a long time, there may be aspects, goals and priorities that haven't changed over time. You can use those against him."

"Katara, I will never use anything that Mako tells me, against him. But what I don't understand is why you're asking me to do this. Mako knows me," Korra replied, "Won't he realise who I am?"

"I don't know, Korra," Katara replied, "He has seen Kya and myself, briefly before the sedative drugs pulled him under, and has recognised the both of us, however he has not once asked after you. When I said the preliminary tests that we had run came back clear, I told you the truth, but we are yet to run any tests linking to his memory and his ability to recognise people or places."

Korra closed her tired eyes. All of the information that she'd received in the last ten minutes being too much for her currently weary mind to process. The one thing she was able to process was the fact that Mako may no longer recognise let alone remember her. She felt her world crumbling around her. Mako, the one person who knew Korra perhaps better than she knew herself may be gone forever.

After a moment Korra spoke, "I will do it," she resigned with a profound sigh.

"That's a good girl," Katara praised with a wrinkled smile, taking a sip of her tea, which had been forgotten for the duration of their conversation.

"Katara—"

Katara's smile faded slightly, and lowered the tea from her lips, "Hm?"

"I want to be the _only_ one who rehabilitates Mako."

There was a drawn out silence and Korra stared at Katara with fierce determination, letting her know that she would not hear otherwise. The silence was broken by the older woman's heavy sigh.

"It will not be easy."

"I realise that, but I owe this to him."

Katara closed her eyes before replying in a resigning tone. "Very well then," she rubbed her temples slowly.

Korra set her jaw, "Take me to see Mako. Now."

* * *

><p>It was only an hour since Mako had woken up and <em>finally<em> ,after what seemed like an eternity, someone came to check on his condition. The door slid open noisily and then was shut with the same amount of racket. Soft, tentative footsteps approached, and there was a small screech on the floor as a chair was drawn forth. The person could be heard settling down on the chair and there was a slight rustling of papers. After a moment, the visitor cleared their throat and Mako determined that the owner of the voice was female, most likely a healer of some sort.

Mako willed his eyes to open, and spotted a woman he recognised, sitting in a chair on the right side of his hospital bed. "Katara?" Mako struggled to get out, coughing slightly at the effort, "Is that really you?"

"Yes, Mako. It's good to see you." Katara replied, her voice sounding vaguely concerned at the difficulty he had at speaking.

"I am in Republic City, aren't I?" he asked, having less difficulty this time.

"Yes, Mako. You're home." Katara answered his question.

"_Home_," he sighed almost inaudibly, "It's been a while…"

There was a short pause, then a weighty sigh, "Mako, I realise you're still recovering from your injuries, that you no doubt know were quite grave, but I wish to start your rehabilitation as soon as possible."

He gave a small nod in reply, "I understand. When will we begin?"

The answer he received was a soft smile, which somewhat confused him. Katara settled his confusion by saying, "Before we begin, there's someone waiting outside whom I believe will be essential in your rehabilitation."

Mako nodded again, his consciousness struggling to stay in control against the sedative drugs still flowing through his system.

"You can come in," Katara turned in her seat, directing her voice to the sliding door.

Mako directed his gaze to the sliding door, genuinely curious as to who was waiting on the other side. Again, the door slid open noisily and then was shut with the same amount of racket, and a woman of similar colouring to Katara walked in. Her eyes were directed to the floor, and it seemed to Mako as though she was avoiding lifting her head and meeting his gaze. Some kind of warning bell went off in Mako's head as his eyes followed the young woman's every move. She looked so startlingly familiar that his heart seemed to ache at the sight of her; the only problem was, Mako couldn't figure out why.

After a moment of tense silence Katara introduced the young woman who was now standing beside her, still refusing to look up into Mako's face. "This is Korra. She will be responsible for your rehabilitation, and hopefully, full recovery."

For the first time since she had entered the hospital room, the young woman, who Mako noted was uniquely beautiful with her mocha coloured skin and chocolate coloured locks, lifted her face to meet his amber gaze. Mako's heart stopped when her eyes met his own. Amber was reflected in turquoise, and turquoise was reflected in amber as the two took each other in. Mako almost choked as he recognised the young woman that stood before him.

"K-Korra?"

"Hey, Mako" came the simple reply.

It was a basic answer, but the words caused Mako to stiffen slightly, his stomach clenching unpleasantly. Her voice was so strained and she sounded _so_ tired.

"How are you feeling?" she continued.

Mako suddenly felt exceedingly dizzy and he wasn't sure whether it was due to the drugs flowing through his veins or because of the sudden onslaught of images that were flashing through his mind. Images of Amon and his loyal Lieutenant, of himself and his gaunt features reflected in a mirror and of the scorch marks on his skin from the weapon of choice that the Equalists use were among the few that stood out. He doubled over in his bed, squeezing his eyes shut in an effort to shut off the flow of images, no, _memories_, of the most unpleasant kind. Before he realised what he was doing, he had leapt out of the bed, across the room to where Korra stood, and clasped his hands around her throat.

Tightening his hands around her neck he shouted, "It's you! It's because of you that Amon captured me! It's because of you that I had my bending taken! It's all because of you! You…you…"

Korra's turquoise eyes widened in shock, not only at Mako's actions but at his words. She dug her nails into his thin forearms, trying desperately to pry his hands away from her neck, however to no avail. Her eyes held his, and she could tell that he was no longer aware of what he was doing, his amber orbs having clouded over. Despite her best efforts, and her strength, she could not remove his hands from her jugular, her breaths becoming ragged and vision blurring.

"M-Mako…"

"Mako," Katara had her hands firmly secured around Mako's arms, having called out for help during the kerfuffle, "Let her go. You don't want to do this." Her voice was patient and kind, though not entirely void of concern. "It's true that Korra was there the day you were captured, but it's not her fault. Korra doesn't want to hurt you, she wants to help you."

Mako's grip around Korra's neck finally loosened. Katara took his hands in her own and let him back to the bed, allowing Korra to regain her breath.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Unable to handle the situation any longer, Korra shook her head and quickly exited the room, leaving Katara with a very bewildered and spaced out Mako, whose eyes slid closed as Katara administered a sedative into his arm.

Outside the room, Korra walked slowly to the elevator, and it wasn't until the doors had shut that she burst into tears.

* * *

><p>Before anyone asks, yes, this chapter is somewhat inspired by the last book of the Hunger Games series; MockingJay. As always, review and let me know what you think. Thanks!<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Fade to Black: Chapter Four

* * *

><p>"You did well, Korra," Katara said comfortingly as she patted the distraught Avatar on the back, "He didn't know what he was doing, you realise that, don't you?"<p>

Korra inhaled with a shudder; her sobs had made her breathing pattern irregular, "Y-yes, I mean, N-no he didn't realise a-at all. I-I feel terrible."

"I know nothing I say now will make you feel any better, but you must understand that Mako is extremely sorry for his actions," Katara reminded her gently, "He's going to need you, more than anyone, Korra."

Korra nodded, her thoughts swirling.

"Don't worry, Korra," Katara said comfortingly, "We are going to do everything we can for Mako."

Korra took a deep breath and calmed herself; this was no time for her to be moping around. Clutching her hands on the arms of the chair she was sitting in, Korra stood up slowly.

"We're going back to see him now, right?" she asked, trying to get control over herself again, "I think I'm ready to go now."

Katara nodded slowly, "Alright then, we're going now. Kya, please clean up the papers here for me and go and grab my medical books on bending and bring them back here."

"Okay," Kya gave a curt nod.

"Come, Korra," Katara said as she left the room, her back straight, her face serious.

Quickly Korra scampered after her, and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as they waited for the elevator. It hurt her to see Mako in such reduced circumstances, and she knew it must be difficult for him; Mako had always been independent and self sufficient, extremely intelligent, he relied heavily on his ability to quickly assess a situation. Now, everything that he was and had ever been, had been stripped away from him. Korra felt her heart go out to him, she would help him in any way that she could.

They stepped off the elevator and Korra took a deep breath, filling herself with calm. If she was going to help with Mako's rehabilitation, she needed to be strong for him—she couldn't waste time crying.

Katara led the way to the room, Korra following quietly behind, keeping her head held high, and her shoulders back. Katara paused at the door when they arrived in front of Mako's room and looked at Korra, who nodded in return. Katara opened the door and entered, the young Avatar only a step behind.

* * *

><p>Mako had not moved at all since Korra had last seen him; he was currently comatose in what Korra could only imagine was a dreamless sleep. He looked so helpless lying in the bed, his clothes in tatters, his hair and skin still stained with blood; tubes of all different lengths, colours and sizes stuck out of every inch of his now gaunt flesh. Korra looked grimly at him, her fists clenching in determination.<p>

"It looks as though he's still rather out of it, so I'll have ease off the sedatives and pain medication in order for him to wake up," Katara said, making her way over to his almost lifeless form.

Korra stood there, completely motionless, watching Katara as she fiddled with multiple different monitors, tubes and medical equipment until Mako began to rouse from his sleep.

"Take it easy Mako, can you try sitting up for me?" Katara ask as she helped Mako sit up in bed as he struggled to get his bearings, heaving himself up on weak arms. "That's the way. Is there anything either Korra or myself can get you?"

Mako glanced over to Korra, who had made no effort in getting closer while he'd awoken.

'_She's afraid of me…'_

"Mako?" Katara's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Just a glass of water." He answered after a moment.

"Korra."

Korra nodded, not needing further instruction from the healing master, and entered the small bathroom that was attached to the room Mako was currently residing in. She made her way to the small sink, grabbing a glass from the mirrored cabinet situated above it. She metal bent the tap to one side until the water started flowing and used her water bending to bend the water into the cup. In the time she was waiting for the glass to become full she took a moment to evaluate her current appearance in the mirror. Her usually iridescent turquoise eyes were dull and forlorn, her long chocolate hair messy, her skin somewhat sallow and her overall demeanor, depressed.

'_Great. It's been a year since he's seen me, and _this_ is what he's greeted with…' _

Korra sighed, turning off the tap and returning to the room where Katara and Mako were waiting for her. She made her way over to the hospital bed and passed Mako the glass of water, avoiding any physical contact.

"I have been telling Mako about his rehabilitation. He's ready to begin as soon as possible." Katara stated as Korra stood beside her.

"You are?" Korra directed her somewhat confused gaze to Mako, who simply stared back at her.

"I am," came his straightforward reply, "But you should know, there may be some things I can not help you with. Before I was tortured and left to die, Amon had parts of my memory erased in case I survived."

"I see," Katara replied in Korra's stead, "We shall see how much memory remains, but that will have to wait until you've regained your strength."

"Okay."

"To get right to the point, your injuries have not completely healed yet," Katara stated bluntly, "You will have to go through a daily healing process with a skilled healer, in this case that will be Korra, during that time you will also be working on rehabilitation. We have an offer of three choices of which type of rehabilitation you will work with. Korra, who will heal you will also help you become accustomed to that choice and eventually will leave when you regain your strength."

"What are the choices?" Mako asked passively, his facial expression unreadable.

"First choice is to have daily healing sessions with me," Katara told him patiently.

"I don't wish to take up all of your time, Katara," Mako answered quietly.

"The second option would be to train you and rehabilitate you in the south poll."

"I'm not really good with the cold, and I've only just returned to Republic City… I don't really want to leave. Not yet." Mako shook his head. The very thought of being in the Southern Water Tribe for months on end made his blood turn cold. Korra knew that being a fire bender made him more susceptible to the colder climate anyway.

"Then you have chosen the third and final choice," Katara said, closing her eyes, "Once you have finished with the healing of your injuries, the healer who set aside time for you will also be taking up residence with you, helping to regain your strength. When you are comfortable with your level of strength, the healer will leave, and you will be left by yourself."

The was a long pause from Mako, "Very well."

"I have already had someone interested in taking up the responsibility of being your healer. Until your are able to live on your own, she will assist you, guide you, and teach you," Katara's voice was gravely serious, "Only under certain circumstances will you be allowed to leave her side—she will also be serving as a kind of supervisor, monitoring your behavior. Consider it a sort of probation, if you will."

Another pause, "Who have you assigned?"

Katara turned to Korra and gave her a proud smile, "Oh, I didn't _assign_ anyone, rather she asked to be made responsible for your recovery. The Avatar and this hospital's most talented healer, Korra."

Mako visibly stiffened at Katara's words; he turned his head away from them again, facing the window so that they could not see his face. Korra frowned uncertainly; bringing a finger to her lip, she bit it nervously.

"I can't…" Mako muttered, and Korra frowned at his words.

"Korra is the one most capable for the job; aside from myself, there is no one better than her," Katara spoke somewhat severely, "You have already chosen the third option, and I will hold you to it. Korra is to help you recover, whether you like it or not."

"Katara, it's not that I'm ignorant to Korra's skills; I _know_ she is an incredible healer. But I can't… I don't want to hurt her again…" Mako shook his head back and forth, his eyes squeezing shut.

"Mako. You're not going to hurt her again. You just have to believe in yourself." Katara reassured Mako, her hand on his bony shoulder.

At that moment, Korra was thankful for Katara's somewhat suborn sense of will. She knew that if she had told Mako herself, she would have been unable to cope with his refusal. Taking a deep breath, Korra stepped forward, her steely gaze full of determination.

"Mako, I will not allow you to refuse my help," she said fiercely, "We're going to get through this. Together. You are my patient, and as of right now, I am responsible for you."

Another long pause blanketed the room, lasting longer than any of the others had—if Mako had had any doubts about Korra's devotion to him, he did not show it. He was thinking it over, Korra knew, but no matter what he felt about the situation, she refused to give up. She would see him through this.

"Even after so much time has passed," Mako said finally, "you're still the most loyal, brave, and selfless person I've ever known, Korra."

Her gaze softened a little, and her body relaxed, Katara looked over at her to see how she would react to her response, but she merely closed her eyes and smiled to herself—she knew that it was his way of saying yes.

"If I have to, I will remind you of just how wonderful I actually am," she retorted haughtily, but a playful grin was on her lips.

It was because Mako's face was turned slightly away from them that they did not see the change in his facial expression—they did not see the corner of his mouth curl slightly upwards into a small, amused smile.

* * *

><p>When Katara and Korra returned to the office on the fifth floor, Kya had dutifully fulfilled her mothers request. All the papers that she had been working on were cleared and a stack of about five medical textbooks were sitting on the coffee table. Kya was sitting patiently on a couch when they entered.<p>

"How did it go?" she asked, standing up abruptly.

"It went better than I expected to—though his response isn't exactly what I was expecting," Katara replied, "I'm also surprised that he was so willing to consent."

"I assure you, Katara," Korra emphasised once again, "his words were that of agreement."

Katara straightened up again and looked at Korra with a wrinkled smile, "Well, you know him better than anyone, though it's not how I would have gone about agreeing to something."

Korra shrugged lightly, a slight smile on her face, "That's the way Mako is."

"Well, alright," Katara responded, sounding dubious. "Moving on, thank you, Kya, for bringing the textbooks here. Korra, you recall our studies on the physics of bending?"

Korra nodded, "We didn't spend that much time on it though, I can't remember much."

"Right now I'm having Mako cleaned up, which might take a while, all things considered," Katara told the Avatar, heading over to the coffee table and picking up the textbook on the top of the stack, "While you wait, I want you to read through these books and try to regain your understanding of what it is you do remember. Mako's treatment is basic healing, but it works better if you know where to focus your energy."

Korra wandered over to the stack of books and picked up the second one on the stack, which was titled 'The Basic Principles and Physics of Bending the Elements.

"You had better get started," Katara responded, putting back the textbook she had, "I have other matters to attend to—I'll be in my office if you need me. I've made arrangements for you to be notified when Mako is ready to begin treatment."

"Alright," she replied, sitting down on the couch across from Kya, "Thank you for letting me do this, Katara."

"Don't thank me," was her reply, "Could I have convinced you otherwise?"

Korra smiled, "No."

"I thought not," Katara gave a soft laugh, "Come Kya, let's see how many hours of healing we have left to do."

Lost in thought, Korra hardly noticed the two water tribe women leave the room as she thought of her situation. Apprehension was coursing through her; it was understandable that she was nervous. The situation that Mako currently found himself was, in some way, her fault. At least that is what she kept telling herself.

Sighing, she cracked open the book laying on her lap, looking at the table of contents for indications of what chapter would be most useful to review. She turned to a page somewhere near the middle of the book—her mind became split in two, both parts still aware of what the other was doing. One part of her was reading the book resting in her lap and absorbing the information, committing it to memory. The other part of her mind, meanwhile, was coming up with a plan in order to get Mako's bending back. It was in this unique way that she could multi-task and be able to remember things better than other people could.

With a plan being formed in her mind and information being branded into it, Korra prepared herself for Mako's rehabilitation.

Mako stood in the shower, letting the cool water run over him and his now scrawny body, one hand braced against the wall. The water ran through his hair, causing the dried blood to become soaked and wash out. More water was running over his face, and he kept his eyes squinted shut tightly as if to shut out the excruciating pain—his body was still stinging from being injured, every movement he made seemed to increase his pain.

The healers, who had come to his room shortly after Katara and Korra had departed, helped him get undressed and into the shower, and were now waiting outside the bathroom for him to let them know when he was finished washing up. It had been a strange experience being so weak that they had to help him out of his bed. It would probably only be that way for a little while. He would be okay.

That last thought drew his mind to Korra. Avatar Korra. She had acted completely different from the Korra that he remembered, and he was surprised that she hadn't been sitting by his bedside already when he woke. She hadn't been as brash as she had been in the past, but rather, a little more subdued. Perhaps she no longer cared for him in that way— and despite his best efforts, Mako couldn't deny that the thought didn't bother him.

He bent down and picked up the shampoo he had been given before beginning to wash out the rest of the matted blood from his jet-black hair. He decided then that he would get well as quickly as he could, so that he could return to living his life that had, seemingly, been on hold for the year he had been gone.

Reaching out he turned off the tap and the water came to a halt, a quiet dripping splashing onto the ground. Fumbling with the handle of the door to the stall he cursed his current state, hating how weak he was. He stepped out of the shower and placed his hand on a stack of towels that had been put out for him; grabbing one, he wrapped it around his waist.

"Mako," one of the healers knocked on the door from outside, "Are you finished?"

"Yes," Mako replied, rubbing his hair dry with another towel from the pile.

He heard faintly, on the other side of the door, one healer say to the other: "Go and alert Avatar Korra that Mako will be ready shortly for treatment."

He lowered the towel from his head and held the thick fabric in his hands; no matter what, he would get well, whether Korra was the one who treated him or not.

* * *

><p>Korra placed her hand on the handle of the door to Mako's room, a small nervousness plaguing her. Having read up on the properties, physics and forms of bending and reviewing what she already knew had helped a great deal, but she was still anxious—she did not want to make a mistake.<p>

This was the first time that she would have taken care of someone, on such a serious level, with out Katara's supervision. When Katara had praised her, and called her the best healer next to herself, Korra was immensely shocked and flattered. She had realised that she was coming along better than most people that Katara had trained, but she had always thought that there were many people who were more skilled than herself. Apparently not. Perhaps this is why Katara let her deal with Mako, because maybe there was something she could do to help that Katara herself couldn't. Korra gripped the handle a little tighter before entering Mako's hospital room.

Mako was again lying in the hospital bed, new dressings over his substantial injuries. His hair was damp and hung down away from his face due to the extra weight of the water, revealing a very incomprehensible expression. He was also no longer wearing the torn and tattered clothes that he had been garbed in that morning and was now wearing a simple cloth hospital gown.

"Good afternoon Mako," she said cheerfully, "I'm glad that they got you cleaned up."

"So am I," was his reply.

"I can imagine you must have been itching to get out of your torn clothes," Korra continued, coming forward, putting her bag on the bedside table next to his bed.

"Yeah well, this gown isn't much better." he stated, his voice sounding a little irritated.

'_Can't say I blame him, those gowns are pretty itchy_…' she thought.

"Well hopefully you'll be out of here soon," Korra replied, changing her tone to a more serious one, "But you won't get better overnight, Mako. This treatment demands a great amount of patience; I won't have you pushing yourself—it would most likely result in a longer rehabilitation period."

"I understand."

Inwardly, Korra sighed.

'_I'm not sure that you do understand.'_

"Can you sit up for me, please," Korra ordered; pulling out a leather-bound book and skimming a dog-eared page for some last-minute information that could help her.

He complied without complaint and sat in a cross-legged position on the mattress, his back straight and his shoulders back. Korra was glad to see that he was no longer struggling to lift himself up as he rested his hands patiently on his lap.

Reaching out she undid the bandage from both his hands, slowly unwinding it until it fell away from his palms. She wrapped it in a neat coil and set it down next to the book she had spread out on the table. She then walked over and sat down on the side of his bed, looking into his amber eyes.

They sat in silence for a while, simply taking the person opposite them. Korra noticed the bags of exhaustion under Mako's amber orbs, clearly a sign he hadn't been sleeping well of late, now that he was no longer on such heavy sedatives. Despite the fact that he was now at least twenty kilograms skinnier, injured and generally in bad shape, Mako was still the most handsome man Korra had ever laid eyes on. His amber eyes glowed, drawing her in. Korra could feel her heart beat rising, Mako's stare incredibly intense. A moment later she cut through the tension between them by lowering her gaze to his hands.

To someone who did not understand the situation, it would appear that Mako was completely fine, asides from a few bumps and bruises still evident on his skin, but Korra knew better. Katara had indeed done a good job on his hands, as there were no marks or indications on the back of his hands that suggested he had ever been injured, but she knew that beneath the surface, the true damage was concealed.

"It's pretty bad huh?" Mako finally spoke, his gaze having followed Korra's.

Slowly he opened his hands and Korra noted the damage with grimness. There was severe damage to the center of his palm, and even though Katara had managed to partially seal the wound, the deep gash had crusted slightly shut and appeared extremely painful.

Korra went and rummaged around inside her bag, procuring a salve that she had made up earlier that morning. Sitting back down on the edge of the bed, she took each of Mako's palms in her own and examined them, comparing the injuries. There was damage to the ligaments on both hands, but his actual hands, from what she could tell, seemed to have sustained no damage at all. She scooped onto her finger a little dob of the salve and place it onto each of his hands, rubbing it in gently, her renewed knowledge on bending allowing her to recognise what she must do.

Korra stretched out Mako's hands before laying her fingertips in the center of his palm. Mako's hands seized up, hissing in pain.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, his voice angry.

Korra glared at him slightly. "I am trying to begin the healing procedure," she replied irritably, "If you don't mind, could you let go of my fingers?"

Slowly Mako's grip on her fingers loosened and he opened his palms again, leaving them open in his lap. There was a trace of a scowl on his face; Korra could tell he was in pain, but there was nothing she could do about it. Again she placed her fingertips on the different energy points in his palms, where the book had said they would be.

Focusing energy in her hands, she exerted it through her fingertips and into Mako's flesh, keeping close watch on the flow of energy. She closed her eyes in concentration, moving the energy over his palms to the infected areas, using her skills as a healer to repair the torn tissues.

For half an hour she and Mako sat perfectly still, neither of them moving, the only movement that could be seen was the slow rise and fall of their chests as they breathed, and the wispy energy that was glowing at Korra's fingertips. After a few more minutes Korra dropped her hands to her side, feeling drained. Healing something as delicate as a persons hands was very difficult and she now knew why Katara hadn't healed him completely the previous night—she had run out of energy to do so.

"I'm finished," she said to Mako needlessly, "It may feel a little tender for the next few days as a result of the process, I guess the best thing you can try and do is get some sleep."

"Okay," he replied as Korra stood up from the bed and went and grabbed some fresh bandages.

She sat down closer to him this time and wrapped the white bandages around his hands, being careful around the center, not wanting to hurt him. Mako waited patiently as she tied the bandage at the back, and didn't say anything as she stood up, packing away the book and the salve she had used.

"I'll come back in a few hours and we'll begin the rehabilitation," she told him as she slung the bag over her shoulder, feeling extremely tired herself, "If you need anything, call the nurse by using the red button on the right side of you, she should be able to tend to your needs until I come back."

She began to cross the room, ready to head up the lounge and take a much-needed rest—her energy levels were still low from healing him the previous night, and she had not had a chance to replenish them completely. The process she had just completed had drained them even further, and she longed for some sleep.

"Korra," Mako called out to her as she reached for the door handle.

Pausing, she turned back to look at him; he had lain back on the bed again and was facing the ceiling, "What is it Mako?"

"I'm glad it's you," he stated, and she could hear an undertone of nostalgia in his voice, "I mean, you know me better than anyone. Even myself. But _why_ are you doing this for me?"

Korra gave a sad smile. "You seem to have forgotten, Mako, the words I said to you on that day a year ago."

"I haven't forgotten," Mako said after a moment.

His words tugged at her heartstrings, touching her, "Then you should know why I'm doing this for you."

With that final word she exited the room, closing the door gently behind her.

* * *

><p>Some of you might have noticed a lack in other characters, but don't worry, they'll come into the story in the next few chapters—once word gets out that Mako has been rescued, and especially after he gets released from the hospital and Korra takes up residence with him, you'll be seeing a lot more of Team Avatar.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Fade to Black: Chapter Five

* * *

><p><p>

It took a while for sleep to claim Mako, his mind kept toying with what Korra had said to him before she had left his room. The memory was in fact vivid in his head: her fighting to keep him from being taken by Amon and the Equalists, screaming his name as they dragged him away, promising she would do whatever it took to get him back. She had promised that she would do anything for him, anything that she could do to find him; shortly afterwards she found herself unconscious and lying on the cold stone floor, himself and the Equalists long gone. Her words had been a source of comfort during his dark days, but despite that, he knew what she had promised was impossible. Yet here he was, safe and relatively sound back in Republic City.

Even though he had been gone so long from Republic City, it seemed that time had not faded her memory of her promise, nor had her love for him grown any fainter. Yet she was different from the seventeen year old that was Korra of his memories; she was no longer abrasive or rash in her decision-making. In fact, she had been rather cool, calm and collected.

To say that he cared more for the current Korra would be a lie—despite having turned his world upside down, she had become a close friend to him, as close as Bolin, maybe even more so. Perhaps it was good that Korra become more mature in his absence, but to Mako, Korra just wasn't Korra when she was like this.

Mako grumbled to himself and rolled over onto his side, feeling a little grouchy. His back was sore and he didn't know why, his entire body still hurt and his hands tingled from where Korra had begun healing them.

Drowsiness overcame and claimed him, his lasts thoughts of Korra.

* * *

><p>Korra knocked once on the door to Mako's room before entering. The nap had replenished her immediate energy reserve, though she knew she would need a full night's sleep before she could call herself completely refreshed. Mako turned his head towards her as she entered; his face looking less exhausted than it had done earlier.<p>

"Did you sleep?" she asked him, making her way over to his bed.

"A little," he replied, sitting upright, "My back is hurting."

Korra smiled to herself, and made a slight tutting noise, "I'm not surprised—you were sitting so rigidly when I was healing you earlier. You don't have to be so stiff, it would probably be better if you tried to relax."

"Yeah… Yeah you're right," he replied a little sheepishly.

"Well," she said as cheerfully as she could manage, "It's not good for one to be bedridden for too long when they are able to walk. We're going to walk around for a bit, to stretch your legs a little."

After giving a brisk nod, Mako hung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, wobbling slightly. He held his one arm out to steady himself, and the other held the side of his head, as if trying to stop something spinning inside his head. He looked dizzy and disoriented and Korra was not the least bit surprised, having read something of the sort when she was reviewing the loss of bending earlier. Walking up to him she took his one arm and steadied him.

"Thanks." Mako said as he placed his hands on her forearm for support, giving Korra a gentle smile.

Mako was a good head taller than her now, and as he turned to face her, she saw that his height hadn't been the only thing that had changed in the year they'd been apart. Korra noted that his jawline and cheek bones were more defined, though admittedly that could be a result of his dramatic weightless, nonetheless Mako's outward appearance had gone from that of a teenage boy to a young man.

"No problem," she replied, "It's been a while since you've been up and about, your muscles and body will take a little convincing."

"My muscles? I don't have any muscles left," Mako sighed, "It's going to take more than a little convincing and coercing my body to build up my muscles again."

"Well, right now muscle build up should be the _last_ thing on your mind, Mako," she returned his sigh, "Shall we get going?"

"I just want to see if I can manage of my own," he stated, gently shrugging his arm out of her grasp, not permitting her to grab his arm again. Korra sighed.

"Alright then, but there is no way that you'll get very far," Korra said, taking a step back from him, "After you."

A small frown crossed his face, but undaunted, Mako walked proudly towards the door. Korra could tell that he was having trouble with balance, a side effect of having his bending taken away, on top of his already weakened state. He was trying his best to hide it, and she watched with grim amusement as he walked in a wobbly pattern across the room. Actually she was somewhat impressed by his determination, but she knew that regardless of how determined he was, he would be unable to manage on his own at this point. She was proven right when instead of walking through the open doorway, Mako crashed instead into the doorframe.

Mildly concerned, she approached him, but he waved her off as she tried to ask him about his head, which he was hanging onto. She crossed her arms stubbornly as he made it past the doorway and into the hall. This time he was a bit smarter, and put his hand against the wall for support. His balance improved instantly and he strode down the hall holding his head up as if to show Korra he didn't need her help. She followed after him.

"You know, I really think we should be taking your rehabilitation slowly," she stated, following behind him.

He snorted before replying with "Give me a little more credit, Korra," and increased his pace, trying to prove to her that he could manage. It was then that his hand ran out of wall as the hall divided up into an intersection. The sudden lack of wall caused him to tumble over sideways around the corner.

"You'd do well to listen to me sometimes, Mako," Korra remarked, shaking her head at his rash behavior, understanding all too well his desperation to get better as soon as possible.

Pulling himself up off the ground, he dusted himself off.

"I was hoping to go out to the local park, you know the one; some fresh air will do you good," she told him, trying to approach him again but he flinched away. She shrugged helplessly, "We'll just follow this hall and take the elevator."

Mako braced his hand on the wall again and followed her instructions. Korra shook her head slowly behind his back, keeping one step behind him; Katara would probably be unhappy with how she was treating her patient, but she knew it was good for Mako's sense of pride.

He reached the elevator without incident and pushed the down button to emphasise his accomplishment; he turned and gave Korra a triumphant smirk.

"I'll admit, you're doing better than I had thought you would," she said, as the elevator door opened. A smirk of her own decorated her lips as a slight laugh was emitted from Mako. Following her into the elevator he leaned up against the wall, his arms crossed.

"Again, you should give me more credit, Korra," he said as they waited for the elevator to descend to entrance level.

"I just don't want you getting ahead of yourself, trust me, that's about the worst thing you could do in your condition. I'd know." Korra informed Mako, giving him a look that didn't need explaining.

"Which way is the park from here?" he asked her, doing his best to change the subject.

"Over in that direction," she said pointing off to her left.

Since she was now standing on opposite him, her hand had pointed to her left—but Mako's right—and he mistook the direction of her hand as the direction of the park, which is what Korra had intended. She let him take a few steps towards the reception desk before she called out to him.

"It's the other way."

Korra rolled her eyes as he turned abruptly and stormed past her, muttering a long string of colourful words as he went. Amused, Korra watched as Mako walked dizzily across the foyer, not having any walls nearby in which he could balance himself. She walked after him, staying a step behind just to make sure he didn't further gravely injure himself.

It was only as he took the first step outwards over the small set of stairs, turning his head to check that Korra was still accompanying him, that Korra spoke out, "There's a slight dip, three stairs deep."

As predicted, Mako was again picking himself off the ground and dusting himself off.

"Just a bit farther," she said brightly as she walked past him and through the automatic doors.

Mako came up behind her, still seeming rather dizzy. She sighed inwardly, he sure was stubborn— more so than herself some of the time. She had been hoping that he would admit defeat by now. Oh well, obviously he hadn't been humiliated enough in order to ask for her assistance.

"We'll just walk along the path for a short while, okay?" she told him, and then added with deliberate emphasis, _"You seem to be having difficulty_, and I don't want you to _strain yourself."_

His facial expression was livid, but Korra shook her head, smiling slightly. Taking great strides forward, Mako trudged onwards, not paying any heed to Korra. Knowing that he would not get that far, she just simply watched him from behind.

What made the local park located so close to the hospital so unique was not the types of flora or fauna they had there, but more the wonderful exterior decorating that had been implemented. The park had been constructed right in the center of the city, featuring ponds, pagodas and people with parasols. The hospital that Mako was currently a patient of, backed into a hill, it's paths winding down and splitting into two through perfectly manicured gardens and into the park, where the patients who were recovering, could come and get some fresh air or stretch their legs.

Korra, who had been momentarily distracted by the parks beauty, returned her gaze to Mako just in time to watch as he stumbled onto the fork in the road, lose his balance because of the loss in his strength, and tumble neatly over the edge into the first flowerbed.

"Watch out, Mako," Korra informed him, just after he lost his balance, walking up to the ledge, "the path splits in two."

She watched him tumble through the air—the fall wasn't that high, only a metre—and when Mako's hands were just about to touch the earth, she bent the earth beneath him into soft soil in order to protect him. What Korra had not noticed was the fact that there was another flowerbed a metre below Mako—she quickly realised the fact as he rolled over the edge and landed on a rash cactus bush below.

Korra who had had her arms crossed stubbornly, uncrossed them and leapt nimbly down to his side; this was getting to be too much—and apparently Mako thought so as well.

"Damn it, Korra!" he cursed at her as she helped him get detangled from the bush, his skin breaking out in red rashes, "Why in the flameo are you doing this to me?"

Korra glowered down at him, hoping that some way or another she was transmitting waves of her displeasure towards him, "Maybe it's because you're acting so childish!"

He was sitting on the ground, a foul expression showing that he was brooding. He said nothing to her response, but clenched his fists. Korra carefully stepped up to him, careful to avoid the rash cactus bush that Mako had just been held victim to.

"Mako, I know you're used to being independent—I know you like doing things on your own," she spoke angrily at him, her hands on her hips, "I know you avoid asking others for help, but you know what? You can't live that way anymore! You need me, Mako, and as much as I know you don't want to admit it, I know that you know it's true. You have lost your bending, something that mostly defined who you were—maybe eighty-five to ninety percent of the time you relied on that aspect of yourself to relate to other people. Now you are relying one hundred percent on the type of person you are _without_ your bending. And need I mention that you're still recovering from what have to be the most horrendous injuries I have ever witnessed? There is no way that you can get by on your own right now, and until you recover you will need some sort of assistance from time to time. This rehabilitation is to get you accustomed to managing on your own, but that doesn't mean that you can completely brush me aside. I am trying to help you, and I'm doing my best to get you back to living a normal lifestyle, but you seem pretty keen on refusing my help. You are being help-resistant. If you still can't grow up and allow yourself to get help from other people once in a while, then you might as well forget about taking down Amon and the Equalists, because there will be absolutely no way that you can do this on your own."

After her long lecture, Korra was left breathless, having put so much force into her reprimands as she had shouted at him. Silently sitting on the ground, Mako hadn't even flinched at her words, but she knew that even though his expression was masking his emotions, she had hit something sensitive and now he was thinking about what she had said. After a while, his fists relaxed and he beckoned her over.

"Help me up," he ordered quietly, facing away from her.

A relieved smirk spread over her lips as she realised he had finally given in. Sighing, she gripped his arm and helped pull him to his feet, and already he looked steadier with her holding on.

"Trust me, it's a lot less embarrassing to have someone assist you down a hallway than tripping over every set of stairs and person you meet," she told him quietly as he offered her his arm and linked it with hers.

"You could have stopped me from looking like an idiot," he muttered, his head not held as proudly as before, but was tilted in a humbled way.

"Now where would the fun in that be?" she replied with a smirk, leading him carefully out of the rash cactus bush, to the path that had forked and was now on their right, "Come on, let's head back."

He carefully stepped over it after she had done so, leaning against her arm for support, and Korra approved of his bettered behavior, however his attire was a little worse for wear. The white hospital gown was covered in dirt and there were a couple twigs caught in Mako's hair. The bandages around his hands were no better, as it had mud smeared over it.

"Let's go back inside and get you cleaned up," she said, trying not to laugh at his state, "Perhaps the fresh air is a little too much for you."

* * *

><p>Mako sat on the bed in his room, wondering how on earth he came to the position he was in right now. He was back in the room where he was staying, sitting in a cross-legged position, his left arm outstretched to Korra who was sitting next him, wiping off the dirt with a wet washcloth. His chin was rested in his right hand and his elbow was leaning on his knee; his amber eyes following every move, completely enthralled with what it was that she was doing.<p>

Korra had kindly gone and retrieved another one of those horrible hospital gowns for him to wear, and removed the bandages from his hands to prevent dirt from getting into the wound. Though he would never outwardly admit it, he wished he had listened to Korra to begin with and just accepted her help instead of going through all the embarrassing ordeals she had put him through. It couldn't be helped though, what was done was done, and he knew that if he did not accept Korra's help, he was completely helpless. Mako blamed his stubbornness and less than willing attitude on the fact that he had had to build a 'wall' of sorts around Amon and the Equalists, as a way of blocking out their cruelty. It had been the only way he had coped with his situation. Being in the 'care' of Amon and his Equalist lackeys for a year had changed him.

"Alright, done," came Korra's voice, snapping him out of his reveries,"Right arm next."

He moved his head to rest in the palm of his left hand as he extended his right arm over to her, where she began to wipe it gently with the washcloth. He sighed slightly, grateful that there was nobody in the room to witness what was going on; he felt embarrassed by his weakened state. No longer was he the famed probender he had been, or the firebender on Team Avatar. He was merely a shadow of his former self. He clenched his jaw tightly and scowled; what use would he be to anyone now?

"Turn your head towards me, Mako," Korra ordered and he reluctantly complied.

The washcloth came to his face as Korra gently removed anything smeared on. He couldn't understand her—she said she wanted to help him, yet she let him disgrace himself, and seemed to have found it amusing too. He suddenly winced as the washcloth came dangerously close to the still healing gash on his forehead.

"Be careful!" he exclaimed irritably, flinching backwards away from her, trying to protect his sensitive sore.

"I'm sorry, Mako, but I'm going to have to get close; we can't risk infection," she replied apologetically.

He sighed and allowed the washcloth to come in contact with his face again, bracing against the pain when she got a little too close to the sore area. After a few more minutes she took the cloth away and stood again. Her footsteps receded and he watched her intently as she rinsed the washcloth out in the sink of the bathroom that was located at the other end of his room.

He turned away from her when she came back, he was still mad about how she had treated him. A sigh came from behind him and then he felt her pulling twigs and leaves from his jet black hair. His foul mood darkened.

"I am sorry about earlier, Mako," Korra said from behind him, "It was wrong of me."

He closed his weary eyes, feeling her hands leave his head. Korra's weight left the bed and Mako's ears were met by the sound of a few steps, then the rustle of a garbage bag as the leaves and twigs were dropped inside. A cupboard was opened somewhere and there was rummaging for a few seconds before it was closed again. Behind him, he could sense Korra approaching once more, and then after a moment, a gauze bandage was rested against his forehead, being wound about his head. He waited patiently until Korra tied the bandage before lying down on his bed and curling up into a ball.

"Why did you let me make a fool out of myself, Korra?" he asked, facing away from her, "I thought you wanted to help me."

"I tried to, but you wouldn't let me," she said in an exasperated tone, and he felt the corner of the mattress by his feet sink as she sat down, "You insisted that you 'could manage fine on your own'."

He curled up slightly tighter, feeling ashamed at his actions. "Perhaps I am too used to being independent," he hated saying it out loud, feeling vulnerable because she knew him that well.

"Well, I know this isn't that easy," Korra murmured empathetically, "I mean, after all, I know what it's like to have everything that you thought you were, stripped away from beneath you. But there was nothing you could do, right? So it's not your fault you're in this state."

At that moment, Mako remembered every single reason why he had first rejected the young Avatar's advances. Her ironic, yet true, words awakened something within him; she couldn't understand him—she knew nothing about what he had been through. She had tried to associate with him even though she could never even begin to relate to him. It had always been that way; the way she managed to get under his skin, her ability to see straight through him, to understand his inner turmoil, even if she knew nothing about the situation. She really did to meddle too much—of all the people in the hospital, why did it have to be her who had to help him? Why couldn't it be anybody but her? Why did it have to be Korra? Why _Korra_?

A burning sensation ripped through him; he could feel his anger boiling over. The twisting pain of her words worming their way around his emotions, drawing motivation from them and then suddenly breaking free of his mood, running rampant and out of his control.

Anger suddenly disappeared as apprehension seeped in. His amber eyes snapped open, widening in fear, and he began feeling his anger starting to spread from the tip of his head to the ends of his toes. Frantically he tried to control it, force it to recede, but he was still weak and he was losing. It was spreading quicker than normal—he had noticed that it had been acting up strangely of late, but only when he was aggravated from an outside force. Why was he so _angry_? Panic started to grip him, which caused him to worry even more—he never panicked.

He gripped his palms into tight fists in desperation, though he knew that it would not be able to stem the anger that had burst loose.

"Korra!" he heard himself shout her name frantically, though he did not know what she could do for him. He only knew that if he didn't get his anger under control soon, he could end up killing her against his will. Who knew what his fate would be then—forget gaol, he would be most likely executed for killing the Avatar.

The weight on the end of his bed disappeared quickly as Korra ran over to his side, pulling his shoulder towards her, forcing him onto his back, "Mako! No, you have to control your anger! Mako, stop it!"

"I can't!" he grunted out, as something feral seemed to emerge within the depths of his sub-consciousness. His fingers began to twitch with sudden urges to hurt something, to destroy, while his conscious mind was doing everything in its power to resist.

There was a pause behind him as he continued to writhe in agony, and he wondered dimly what Korra was doing. She pulled him up into a sitting position and he felt her bend down to his head. He could barely keep the desire to reach about and strangle her under control—she should leave, he could end up killing her. His grasp was slipping…why was she still here!?

"Forgive me."

A sudden force hit the back of his neck sharply. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he smirked slightly in realisation at the irony as he began to lose consciousness—this had been the same way Amon had knocked her out when he'd ben captured. The night of their botched coup. Blackness then took him as he finally passed out.

* * *

><p>Review as always lovely readers!<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

Fade to Black: Chapter Six

* * *

><p>"He what? " Katara asked as she almost dropped her cup of tea onto the desk before her as she faced Kya, who had just brought her news from the hospital.<p>

"He went ballistic," Kya replied nervously, judging Katara's mood before continuing, "Korra managed to knock him out, but his body is still having an adverse reaction to his outburst. It's like he has a fever or something, he's warm to the touch."

Katara shook her head slighlty before murmuring to herself, "Firebenders always are the _worst_ kind of patients."

"Mum?" Kya asked timidly, not sure what the older water tribe woman would do.

"Kya," she started softly, and the young woman stopped muttering to herself, turning to look at her mother, "Take the top healers with you and work on bringing down Mako's fever. He's body won't be able to handle much more. Find Korra. Now go, quickly!"

"Right!" she nodded, before dashing out of the room.

Katara didn't waste another moment as she got up from her seat, and walked briskly out of the room, down the flight of stairs and towards the hospital. People hastily jumped out of the ailing healers way as she made her way down the street in a hurry. She waited for the elevator, willing it with all her might to go more quickly. She made her way as quickly as her elderly legs would allow to room two hundred and twenty one, and flung the door open.

Korra was sitting on the edge of Mako's bed, holding his hand in hers, looking extremely perplexed and nervous. A sheen of sweat could be seen on Mako's body, his forehead covered with a damp wash cloth; he was unconscious still, but his fever was causing him to shiver in an almost delirious way. Korra looked up at Katara in a relieved manner as she approached the side of the bed, tears forming in the young Avatar's eyes.

"Alright—come with me, Korra," Katara ordered, not asking any questions or allowing Korra to ask her any.

Katara left the unconscious boy laying in his hospital bed, ignoring Korra's look of desperation and merely motioned for her to follow. Leaving at a brisk pace, Korra matched it, wringing her hands as she walked.

"Katara—?" Korra began but Katara cut her off.

"What happened, Korra?" she asked as they stepped into the elevator, the doors closing behind them.

"Oh, Katara," Sakura wailed, covering her face with her hands, "I think it might have been my fault!"

"How so?"

"Mako wasn't being very cooperative, insisting that he could manage on his own…so I let him have his way, and—" Korra took a shuddering breath, "—well, it wasn't very flattering for him. He fell and bumped into a lot before he finally accepted my help. Do you think that perhaps because I put him under that strain, that I ultimately caused his outburst…?"

"No," Katara replied firmly, a wrinkled smile coming to her lips regardless of the situation, "Damaging someone's dignity never harmed anyone, and it certainly does not trigger the outburst of anger we're seeing with Mako."

"Then what…?" Korra asked, taking some deep breaths to calm herself.

Katara closed her eyes and pondered it for a moment, "I can't imagine he was in a good mood after being publicly embarrassed like that. Especially by one of the people he cares most for. Mako has had to deal with a lot over the past year, he's mental state isn't stable and I wouldn't be surprised if a variety of these things, on top of his ragged state caused him to have more anger than usual."

"Then it was my—" Korra began despairingly, but again she was cut off.

"How did he react to being unable to control his anger?" Katara asked.

"He seemed…worried—no, more like terrified," Korra pondered, clutching her hands together, her knuckles having turned white under the pressure.

"Exactly," Katara replied, "He was not expecting to be unable to control his anger, and was desperately trying to do so. You did the right thing in knocking him out—who knows what might have happened if you hadn't done so."

"What are you going to do to him?" Korra asked, her voice full of desperation.

Katara stopped in her tracks and turned to take in the young woman before her. She could see that Korra's eyes were full of tears that were threatening to brim over, her shoulders sagged and her arms hung next to her as if she'd lost all hope.

Katara placed her hands on Korra's upper arms, pulling her into a reassuring hug.

"Some healers and I are going to administer a complex draft into his system—we have high hopes that it will help curb his anger," Katara replied, patting Korra's back soothingly "This is the last time that Mako will ever be lose control—he will never be at risk of an outburst again."

* * *

><p>It was not Mako's internal clock that woke him from the long slumber that he had fallen into, but rather the loud and obnoxious outburst that had erupted somewhere outside his room and ultimately roused him from his sleep. He groaned slightly and rested his arm across his forehead, dimly wondering what was going on. Again he found himself wondering what had happened to him—a feeling he had come to find very annoying.<p>

"Where is he?!" came the obnoxious sounding voice—one that hadn't changed with time and was still very distinguishable, "I'm going to bend a _boulder_ at his head!"

Mako groaned and rolled over onto his side, facing away from the door. He knew that word would get out that he had been rescued and brought back to Republic City, and he knew that eventually the person who was making a ruckus outside the door was going to come and find him.

"Bolin!"

Mako heard Korra exclaim from outside the door, "Your brother is _resting_ right now—along with a number of other patients. This is a _hospital_ and I would appreciate it if you kept your voice down. Jeez, you're as bad as Meelo. The both of you are such wild cards."

"After everything he's put me through for the past year?! I'm going to beat some sense into him if it's the last thing I do!" Bolin's reply came and there were some grunts, like he was trying to make it past Korra in the hallway, but she was preventing passage.

"Mako is in no condition to be seen right now! He's asleep and if you continue to be noisy, you may wake him!" Korra retorted, sounding like she had landed a punch on Bolin somewhere.

Mako's lip twitched in amusement.

"You shouldn't come so early in the morning either, Bolin!" Korra exclaimed, "The morning is evil."

A frown creased Mako's face; the last thing he remembered was that it was the afternoon and he'd had another outburst. What had happened since then?

"It doesn't matter if Mako's injured or not, he can take it! I owe him a good beating for what he did to you!" Bolin growled from the hallway.

What he had done to Korra? A small frown descended on to his face. What _had_ he done to Korra?

"Enough!" Sakura lashed out angrily on the other side of Mako's hospital room door, "Look, I have a job to do. I can't constantly be worrying about keeping you from making another huge ruckus! You don't know what has happened to Mako—I can tell you right now that he is not in any condition to see anyone! Now please leave, Bolin, before I call hospital security and have you thrown out."

There was silence in the hall for a moment, "Korra…"

"Please, Bolin," Mako heard Korra say in a weary tone, almost as if she were begging his brother for peace.

There was another pause and then Bolin spoke again, "What happened to my brother?

"I can't tell you, Bolin…" Korra said, barely audible to Mako's ears, "As Mako's healer, I am not at liberty to tell you. And as your friend, I think it's better if Mako tells you himself—but you're going to have to wait until he's better before I'll let you see him."

There was a sigh, and Mako almost didn't catch it because of the walls and closed door, "I'll come back some other time then…"

There was the sound of receding footsteps that sounded partially dragged, and it was not until that they had completely faded from his hearing that Korra opened the door to his room tentatively.

"Mako?" she whispered quietly, "Are you still asleep?"

He rolled back onto his back, a grim smile on his lips, "I was…until Bo decided to pay a visit."

Korra's footsteps drew near to him and the side of his bed sank a little as she sat down on its edge.

"I'm sorry I let him wake you," she said softly, "I shouldn't have let him make it this far. He's a sneaky little bugger though."

"Still as hard-headed as ever," Mako commented.

"Some things never change," he heard her say in a poignant tone and he knew that she was smiling, "And Bolin is one of those things."

"Yeah."

"Just so you know, now that Bolin knows that you've been rescued, it's going to spread like wildfire throughout our old acquaintances. You'll probably be getting many more people who want to visit you," Sakura said after a pause, "It's out of our hands now."

"How did Bo find out?" Mako asked in curiosity.

"He has this habit of listening in on Beifong at work, trying to get in on all the rescue missions that would have helped in returning you to the city. He promised to bring you back, and he had never given up on succeeding in doing so," Korra replied, and to Mako, she sounded slightly emotional, "Apparently what he heard this morning was enough for him to figure out that you were back."

"I see…" Mako growled mentally; he did not want visitors. He preferred it if he didn't have anything to do with many people at all, "Korra… Thank you." He finally pulled away his arm from over his forehead, looking her in the eye.

"For what?" her face was one of confusion.

"For not telling Bolin what happened," was his response.

"People going to find out one way or another, but I wanted you to be the one who decides when they get to learn about it," Korra told him, looking more empathetic now.

"Yeah."

"Anyway, how are you feeling today?" she asked him as she stood again and put something on the nightstand beside him. There was a rummaging and then the sound of papers being attached to a clipboard.

"Tired," he responded.

She sat down on the edge of his bed again, and he could she her harsh gaze at him, "No aching or burning sensations? Nothing?"

"No…" Mako replied. He paused for a moment and then looked away from her, "What happened, Korra?"

He watched her lay the clipboard on her lap, sighing faintly, "Yesterday you kind of went ballistic, your anger went through the roof. Katara said that because of what you've been through in the past year, you're a lot more sensitive than you were before. Understandably, you were probably a little more than irritated with me for what I put you through, and that triggered your outburst."

Mako clenched his fist slightly—he shouldn't have let that happen. After being captured by Amon, he had been subject to much torture, causing him to be less in control of his own emotions. That was why he had promised himself, as he was tortured by the Lieutenant and other Equalists, to never to lose control again, save for one task, and that task only—to bring down the Equalist Faction.

"What happened after that?" he asked.

"I knocked you out, and you were taken to a room on the fourth floor where Katara and four other healers spent the rest of the day bringing down your fever," Korra replied, "Katara administered some sort of drug that acts as a restrictor to your emotions."

"Korra?"

"Yes, Mako?"

"Please leave," he stated, his fist clenching and unclenching under the sheets, "I'm still tired."

Korra stood up from his bed, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have kept you awake. Just ask the nurse for me when you are rested."

There was rustling as Korra put away the objects she had been holding, before there were the footsteps of her walking across the room, opening the door and shutting it quietly behind her. It was after her footsteps were completely gone from earshot that his hand lashed out and tried with all his might to produce flames from the palms of his hands. Fury seethed in his mind as he continued to envisage the amber flames exploding from his hands; his bending been lost for all eternity, and the only power he'd possessed was gone—along with any chance that he had in taking down Amon and his Equalists.

* * *

><p>Korra knew that even though Mako said he wanted to rest, she knew he just wanted to be alone for a while. Losing his ability to control his emotions must have been a blow because she knew it probably had been a reliable source of power for him, and no longer having that power was as bad as losing his bending.<p>

Korra pushed the down button on the elevator and waited patiently, casting a glance in the direction of Mako's room. She figured it would be a while before he calmed down again, so she might as well run some errands while she waited. She entered the open elevator door after casting a last look at Mako's room; he'd move on.

She stepped off on the main floor and walked over to the reception desk, adjusting the bag that was slung over her shoulder.

"Avatar Korra," the receptionist, Izumi, smiled, "What can I do for you?"

"I'm going out for a while, my patient is resting, I need a phone just in case he wakes and needs me while I'm gone," Korra explained opening her bag, pulling out the notes she took earlier, "Give these to Katara when she arrives today, will you?"

"Certainly," the receptionist smiled, exchanging an on-call mobile for the papers, "Have a good time, Avatar Korra."

* * *

><p>Asami stood outside her industrial Estate, opening up the door to the factory, getting ready for the day of production that awaited. It was still early in the day but she had been late in opening the factory—her father, were he still around, would not be pleased. Asami hurried into the factory, switching on the lights before going back out into the street to latch the door to her factory open on its hinge.<p>

It was then that out of the corner of her eye that Asami saw Korra walking down the road, carrying a shoulder bag that seemed to be weighed heavily down. What was Korra up to? She hadn't seen her in days—she hadn't so much as heard from the young Avatar in four days; it was very unusual for Korra not to at least check in.

The heavy looking bag was suspicious too…normally it didn't weigh down so much on Korra's shoulder; it was like she was carrying rocks or something in there. Dashing quickly behind the door to the factory so that Korra didn't notice her presence, Asami watched Korra by peering from behind the factory door, with much curiosity. Korra passed the entrance to the factory without so much as casting a glance over and continued up the street, seeming preoccupied.

'_Ugh, what's another half hour?'_ Asami thought to herself as she unlatched the factory door, rendering the factory closed.

Turning to follow Korra, she headed up the street to where she had last caught site of the young Avatar. Placing her hand on the side of the building, Asami peered around the corner and spotted Korra's smooth mocha complexion among the crowd. She was no longer wearing black, she noted with interest, but wearing her regular blue Southern Water Tribe garbs. A frown marred Asami's face, and she narrowed her clear green eyes—where on earth was Korra going?

"Hey, Asami!"

Asami looked over her shoulder and saw Meelo and Ikki making their way down the street and over towards her.

"What are you doing?" Ikki called over to her, her face spreading into a grin.

She put a finger to her lips and made a shushing sound, "There's no time for that, come here you two!"

Meelo raised an inquisitive eyebrow, "What is it, o' fair maiden?"

Asami rolled her eyes before pointing around the corner to where Korra was still walking, "See that?"

"What—Korra?" Ikki asked, her quirking her head to the side in confusion, "What about her?"

"She's been acting very suspiciously lately," Asami replied crossing her arms, "You two up to a little mischief?"

"Ooooooooh! Oh oh oh yes. Yes Asami!" Came Ikki's reply as she jumped up and down, clapping her hands together. "What are we going to do?"

"We're going to follow her and find out what she's up to." Asami said as she began to follow after Korra.

"Aye aye Sir!" Meelo saluted, following behind Asami and his older sister.

As if from thin air, Jinora appeared, a very stern look upon her face, "Oh no you don't!" she grabbed the back of Meelo's shirt as he turned to follow Asami and Ikki, yanking him back towards her, "You're coming with me!"

"No Jinora! I'm going to cause mischief! Now unhand me!"

"Ugh, Meelo… What mischief are you talking about _now_?"

At that moment, Asami and Ikki came back from around the corner they'd just turned, wondering where their accomplice had gone off to.

"Asami asked if we wanted to help her in finding out what Korra's up to." Meelo grinned up at his older sister, who still had a firm hold of his shirt.

"You know Asami, if you're curious as to what Korra is up to, you could always just ask." Jinora finally let go of Meelo, his wriggling having become rather annoying.

"Believe me, Jinora, I've tried." Asami sighed, shaking her head from side to side, "It's unusual for Korra to hide things from me, let alone not contact me for more than three days."

"Come on Jinora, it'll be fun!" shrieked Ikki, Meelo agreeing in earnest.

Jinora contemplated the offer to reveal whatever it was that Korra was up to for a moment, thinking of all the pros and cons to either answer. After a few more minutes she answered; "Fine."

Meelo and Ikki both grinned in glee, Asami smiling slightly at their excitement.

"Okay, let's go, before we lose track of her."

The four of them dashed around the corner after Korra as she disappeared further down the road, a reluctant Jinora following behind Asami and her siblings. Korra was far enough away that the crowd between them would hide her and the Air benders easily, and they would not be spotted unless Korra was expecting someone to be following her.

"How troublesome," Jinora muttered under her breath, clearly not enjoying herself.

They followed Korra down the street as she continued to walk, the four of them trying not to look suspicious within the crowd, yet trying to hide from sight. There were many stores that lined the street, yet Korra did not stop at any of them.

"She's not shopping at any of the stores!" Ikki hissed to Asami, "She's obviously up to something."

"Maybe she's just out for a walk," Jinora replied logically.

"With that bag?" Asami asked incredulously, "There's no way she would take something that heavy with her if she were just going 'for a walk'. See how it's digging into her shoulder like that? I wonder what's in it…"

"Probably some books," Jinora replied disinterestedly, "Is this really necessary, Asami? Don't you have some work at the factory to do, I mean, aren't you in the middle of producing a new Sato Mobile?"

Asami nodded, scowling slightly, ignoring Jinora's last question, "I just want to find out where she's going."

"Troublesome…"

"Oh! Come on!" Meelo retorted, grabbing his sisters arm and hauling her onwards once again.

Korra continued to walk along the street, still not having noticed Asami and the three air bender kids who were following her; it was a wonder within itself that she hadn't even felt their presence yet.

Asami suddenly stopped, noticing suddenly that Korra had come to the neighborhood that had once been where the Mako and his brother had taken up residence. This was interesting…mourning Mako's capture and wearing black, and the day that she stopped wearing black she had decided to pay a visit to the old apartment building in which the four of them, Team Avatar, had spent many an hour together.

"Did you see that?" Ikki squealed quietly, "Did you see where she just went?"

"Yeah," Meelo replied, not caring much, "What of it?"

"That's Mako's apartment," came Jinora's reply.


	8. Chapter 8

Fade to Black: Chapter Seven

* * *

><p>"That's Mako's apartment." Came Jinora's voice from behind her.<p>

Asami stood there, a little bewildered before speaking again. "Two days ago I ran into Korra while she was making her way home. She was garbed in black and I figured she'd been sent on an official political errand to one of the neighboring cities. After thinking on it a little, I realised that that day marked a year since Mako's capture," Asami explained to the three airbender children, "And today she's back to wearing her usual garb but suddenly she decides to pay a visit to _this_ neighborhood. It's just not adding up. None of us have been here since Mako's been gone.

Jinora raised her head upwards to the sky thoughtfully, and after a moment she sighed, "I'll admit that it's a little strange."

"Yeah!" Ikki piped up, making a fist and pounding it into her other hand, "So, what could Korra be up to?"

"It's really none of our business," Jinora replied, attempting to leave again, but Meelo pulled her back.

"I said before, I'm not letting you go until we get to the bottom of this!" Meelo snapped as he pulled her down the street, his gaze fixed on Asami.

Again, Jinora uttered something under her breath, Meelo not hearing what she had said. Korra had just disappeared around another corner. Following quietly behind, Asami came up to the edge of the building and looked around carefully. Korra had stopped, and was now standing in front of an old traditional apartment building that looked like it needed some repairs—clearly it was uninhabited.

"So _this_ is Mako's house?" Ikki asked Jinora with a tone of uncertainty, turning to face her.

A trivial frown was on the eldest air bender's face as she took in the building where the famous 'Bending Brothers' once lived. "Yeah."

"Why would Korra want to come here?" Ikki asked,

A slight frown marred the otherwise flawless face of Asami, "That's what we're here to find out."

Asami leapt upwards onto the roof of the building they were standing at the corner of, the air benders following behind her without complaint, Jinora seeming to forget that she wanted to be elsewhere. Leaping from roof to roof, they paused at the last building and peered down into the paved courtyard of the old apartment building. Korra was walking around to the back of the apartment, carefully pushing aside some overgrown bushes and walking through in a way that she could return, unscathed.

"You two stay here, Jinora and I are going to follow Korra; We'll meet you back here soon. And stay quiet."

Ikki and Meelo nodded in understanding.

Jumping down into the paved courtyard out front, Asami beckoned Jinora to follow. She landed quietly beside her and peered intently at the side of the house.

"If we're going to follow, we had better be quick and as quiet as possible," Jinora told Asami softly, "We don't know when she'll be back."

Asami nodded and made her way around the side of the apartment where Korra had traveled. She pushed aside the branches and stepped over the leaves as silently as she could manage, Jinora not far behind. Emerging on the other side, Asami glanced about the area nervously. There was no doubt that Mako's apartment had been empty and unkempt for a long time, as the garden she saw was almost a jungle with weeds.

"Asami," Jinora interrupted, "There's Korra's bag."

Following her gaze, Asami saw Korra's bag lying on the back step in front of the back entryway. Listening carefully, Asami made sure that Korra wasn't nearby before quickly sneaking up to the bag and opening the flap.

"What are you doing, Asami?" Jinora hissed from behind her, running up as well, "This is risky; she could find us at any moment."

"Be quiet for a minute, will you?" she whispered as she peered at the contents of the bag.

A mobile from the hospital, a vile of spirit water, bandages, a wallet, and two large books were inside. Reading the titles on the spines, Asami observed that they were about the history and physics of bending. This was getting stranger by the second… The contents of the bag didn't take up much of its total capacity and quite a lot of space was left over.

"Asami," Jinora whispered to her, "Footsteps."

Quickly Asami shut the bag and both leapt back away from it, taking up a hiding spot within some bushes. Peering out carefully through the leaves, both of them saw Korra exit the apartment with a number of items held in her arms. Kneeling down on the veranda, Korra laid the items gently on the ground and opened up her bag.

At that moment, the mobile within Korra's bag began to ring, and she pulled it out quickly and answered it.

"Hello," she said somewhat solemnly, then nodded, "Mmhmm… Alright, let him know that I'll be there soon… No, I'm not too far, just picking up a few things and I'm just packing up. In the meantime, can you see to it that he is showered off and fed? I don't think he's had anything to eat since lunchtime yesterday. He was unconscious after Katara dealt with the problem that came up… Thank you, Izumi. I'll see you in a bit… Okay, goodbye."

Noticing nothing out of the ordinary, Korra placed the mobile back into her bag and began to put the items she had collected from Mako's apartment into it as well. She put them inside with a delicate touch, like she did not want to damage anything. From the distance that she and Jinora were at, Asami found that she couldn't tell what most of the items were, but clearly recognised two folded sets of clothing.

Korra finished packing up the bag, and after closing it, slung it onto her shoulder. She closed the door to the apartment and locked it, obviously having kept her set of keys, carefully before heading back to the side of the house, carefully making her way back through the underbrush with ease. Asami and Jinora waited until she was completely gone before straightening up.

"Well, that was strange," Jinora commented, air bending the dirt off her clothes, "You were right, she has been acting oddly."

"Yeah. She has." Asami replied wearily, "It's just very unlike her to hide things from me."

Jinora closed her eyes, "Perhaps she feels it's something she's unable to confide in you. Everyone has secrets that they don't wish to share."

"You think that's it?" Asami asked, putting her hands on her hips, a confused expression on her face.

"I have a theory…" she pondered quietly to herself, "But even to me it doesn't entirely fit. We're missing too much information."

"I'm probably just worrying too much. We should head back now anyway. No doubt Ikki and Meelo are getting anxious." Asami said as she stepped out from behind the bush and into the yard.

"Yeah. Let's go."

* * *

><p>Korra opened the door to Mako's room, greeting him with a soft. He had been showered and cleaned, a fresh hospital gown and his damp jet-black hair told her as much; a tray that had the remnants of a meal scattered on it, lay on his lap. Mako himself was holding a bowl, prodding the inside with his chopsticks in an investigative manner, shoving aside food he didn't like, and probing around for anything good that was left over. Korra watched his behavior with interest—He'd never been a particularly fussy eater, but it seemed he didn't care much for the hospital meals. Not that she held it against him.<p>

"Sorry I kept you waiting," she said cheerfully, going over to him and resting her book bag on the bed side table, "I see that they got you some food—that's good. Did you sleep at all while I was gone?"

"A little," he replied absently, setting down the bowl and chopsticks, "Where were you?"

"Just wanted to grab a few things, that's all," Korra replied happily, not wanting to state that she had been going through things at his old apartment, "I brought something for you too. –Are you done eating?"

"Mhm."

Korra took the tray from his lap and carried it over to the door, setting it outside and off to the right—a nurse would come and pick it up later. Turning around, she closed the door behind her and walked up to Mako once more. She noticed his amber eyes were fixated on her every move. Turning her back to him, she opened her bag and withdrew the set of clothing that she had taken from his apartment.

"I know those hospital gowns feel dreadful on your skin, so I brought you some clothes—thought they would be more comfortable," she told him, laying them on his lap, "They'll probably be a little baggy on you, seeing as you've still got a lot of weight to regain, but I'm sure you'll recognise it.

Mako said nothing as he took the folded garments in his hands, feeling the fabric in underneath his finger tips, an unreadable expression on his face. He ran his fingers over the two golden buttons at the lapel to his coat, running his fingertip along the now thread bare coat in a thoughtful and memory-invoking manner. Korra wondered what he was thinking of at that moment, his long eye lashes preventing her from reading any emotion behind his amber orbs.

"I'll step out of the room so you can change," she said, walking over to the other side of his bed, drawing the curtains shut.

"You've seen me naked plenty of time before Korra, why the sense of decency now?" Mako asked flatly, though he knew the answer to his own question.

Korra chose to ignore his question, rolling her eyes slightly and snorting. A moment later she replied simply with, "Just give me a shout when you're ready."

Korra closed the door behind her, and waited patiently, leaning up against the door. The halls were rather quiet that day—it was not nearly as busy as it had been just last year. Republic City's hospital had been completely inundated with victims of Amon and his Equalist faction. Korra had been one of the very few seriously injured during the botched coup on an Equalist rally. Since then, Republic City had returned to normal, Amon and his Equalists were not completely eradicated but laying on the low, Korra had recovered and no longer was there the threat of an all out war between benders and non benders. The chaos had diminished as things settled out and the hospital was now peaceful as it should be—also a lack of Bolin and the air bender kids tended to help matters.

"Korra," Mako's voice came from the other side of the door.

Smiling at the sound of her name escaping his lips, she reentered the room, once again closing the door behind her. She looked over at Mako, who seemed to have had no trouble changing clothes, however—Korra laid a hand over her smiling lips so that she wouldn't be tempted to chuckle. Once the feeling had passed, she lowered her hand and cleared her throat slightly.

"Mako, your pants are on backwards," she said as politely as she could, managing to keep the amused tone out of her voice.

The young fire bender growled and retracted his legs from his pants, allowing them to fall to his feet. After a moment of struggling, he managed to get them rotated around his ankles so that he could slide his slender legs out through the pants once more. Once he'd managed to put his pants on the right way he flopped down on the bed, smirking slightly at the woman before him. She returned his smirk, mused at his silliness.

Walking over to the edge of the bed, Korra picked up the discarded hospital gown, tossing it into a dirt clothesbasket, she went and sat down on the edge of the bed, kicking off her shoes. Swinging her legs up over the side, she took a cross-legged sitting position opposite Mako.

"Ready?" she asked, about to reach out and remove the bandage around his left hand, but Mako reached over at the same time as Korra, both their fingers lingering over the ties on the end of the knot. Korra felt a spark run up her arm when her fingers met with his briefly, brushing up against the rough skin on his right hand. She quickly withdrew her hand, avoiding looking into his eyes that had flown to her face when their skin had met.

After a moment Mako untied the bandage from his left hand, and then the other, letting them unwind fully before he gathered it up in his lap. He let it rest for a moment, feeling the gauze between his fingertips before offering it to her. Taking it gently, she folded it up tidily after his hands had returned to resting on his knees, where he sat silently as before. It was a psychological thing, she knew; he took off the bandage in order to give him a little sense of independence, and she was aware that he probably needed that reassurance.

"Alright then," she spoke steadily, laying the bandage beside her, "Let's begin."

"…Wait."

Korra paused, withdrawing her hands again for the second time; a vaguely worried expression came across her face, "What is it, Mako?"

For a moment Mako said nothing, but merely turned his head so that he was facing the floor. He licked his lips, and then inhaled a little, then let it out again. There was another short silence before he spoke.

"I'm sorry," he muttered faintly.

Korra blinked, so bewildered by Mako's words, all she could do was stare. Had she just heard correctly? Had Mako just apologised? Her brows knitted together in worry; the Mako she had known had only ever apologised when he felt he'd disappointed those that mattered most to him.

"Whatever for?" she asked quietly, knowing that she probably sounded confused.

"For what happened yesterday…with my losing control… it shouldn't have happened," he replied, still not meeting her turquoise gaze. "I couldn't control my anger," he stated gruffly, and after a moment's pause, "I'm sorry."

Korra thought a moment about reaching out and grabbing his hand, but decided against it, knowing that that was probably going too far at this point. He still didn't entirely trust himself, and she didn't want to destroy the currently fragile relationship they shared. She smiled sadly instead, and kept her hands in her lap.

"It's not your fault," she replied, shaking her head slightly from side to side, "It was partially my doing. I think I might have set you off."

Mako continued to face the floor, and after another long silence he spoke again.

"My bending was quite often fueled by anger," he told her, his voice quiet, yet firm and hesitant at the same time, "except for when I was fighting to protect you or Bolin. I thought that anger made my bending stronger, but I guess not that I've lost my bending, I won't be doing any fighting."

The expression on his face told her that he didn't want to talk much about him having lost his bending, but he was telling her anyway; Korra guessed it was because she could relate to it.

"Mako, just because you've had your bending taken away doesn't mean that you can't still protect those whom you love," she told him tenderly, "I may have been assigned to simply get you back on your feet so that you can live on your own again, but ultimately it's _you_ who decides when you want me to leave. If you want me to help you to rebuild your skills so that you can perhaps go back to being in the Police Force, you just have to ask. And I know that there are others who would be willing to help you learn skills that I can't teach you. People want to help you, Mako—you have to understand that. And as far as Bolin, Asami and I are concerned, you are still a member of Team Avatar, and always will be."

She let the silence drag out for a little while, giving Mako ample time to consider her words.

"If you're ready, I would like to start the therapeutic process—if that's still alright with you," she said tentatively, "I've recovered quite a bit of energy since yesterday, and I can go for a longer session if you wish."

"Don't work yourself too hard," he responded, turning his head towards her, opening his eyes. She knew by looking into his amber orbs that he was still thinking about what she had said earlier. She gently laid her fingers on the pressure points in his hands, saying nothing so as to not disrupt his thoughts.

"Just relax," she told him, as she began to bend a vile of spirit water through his tendons, "You don't want a sore back again."

Closing her own eyes, she focused the chakra and sent it out through her fingers, picking up where she had left off the previous day, healing the damage slowly and with care.

Korra's words had touched something within him, making him feel undeserving of her devotion and determination to help him.

He set his jaw as he recalled something Tenzin had once said to him—that if he relied on anger to fuel his bending, it would prevent him from ever growing stronger; and he wondered to himself if it was already too late for him. He should have never allowed himself to lose control, he could have killed Korra, and then who knew what would have happened after that. He should have, on no account, become angry with her…he was the one who had acted out of line. The loss of his bending was entirely his own doing, and he didn't blame Korra at all for what happened—that was why he had asked her to leave the room for a while, he didn't want to take his anger out at her.

He thought of the futile efforts he'd made to fire bend—that was what he had done whenever he became angry. It was his own incompetence that had cost him the power he had been born with, and now it was gone. If he hadn't been so naïve about Amon's power, or so blazè in not acknowledging Korra begging to pull out of the Equalist rally, he then might have never ended up in the situation where he had his bending taken. He need help—all he needed to do was ask for help.

He shouldn't have refused _her_ help.

A memory came to mind as he recalled the first time he had seen Korra bending. Korra had asked Bolin for help, having just watched one of their many Pro-Bending matches and hoping to get some tips on to how to improve her skills. Korra had felt no shame in reaching out and asking for help when she had needed it.

His own response to her eagerness to improve had simply been _'Really Bo, right now?'_

Mako sighed. He just had to ask. That was it—it was so simple, yet why was it so difficult? There had been so many times when he should have asked others for help, but he hadn't been able to bring himself to do so.

And even though he no longer had his bending, he had to regain his strength—he had to bring Amon and his Equalists to justice. Even if it meant months of rehabilitation, he would do it.

'_I will bring you down, Amon_,' he through fiercely to himself, his brows knitting together, _'You'll never know what hit you.'_

"Am I hurting you?" Korra asked, and Mako realised that she must have seen the frown on his face.

"No," he replied shortly. After a moment he added reluctantly, "I want you to help me to become strong again."

He didn't need to look up to know that she was smiling.

"Okay," was her response, and he could hear a warmth in her voice that made him relax to some extent. Somewhere inside of him, he had been worried that she would have refused.

"Thank you," he murmured quietly, feeling unworthy of her help.

"Don't worry about it."

A silence fell between them after that, and Mako knew that it was probably to help her concentrate on the process of healing. Her fingertips felt warm against his skin as the spirit water flowed between them, healing his damaged ligaments. The sensation was a strange one—as the injury mended, it felt like it tickled, but not to an intensity where he felt the need to flex his hands to be rid of the reaction. It was a peculiarly enjoyable sensation and the flow of the spirit water caused his mind to feel a little tranquil, a strange feeling of serenity pulling on the corner of his consciousness, trying to get him to relax.

He closed his eyes, his stiffness from the previous day had fought off the effects of the energy flow, but now it descended on him like a thick blanket, and he was no longer as alert as he had been. He felt the urge to move closer to Korra in order to feel the sense of warmth he knew radiated off her—to remind himself that this wasn't just some blissful dream. He couldn't remember the last time he felt as peaceful as he was feeling now.

It seemed too soon that Korra pulled her fingertips away from his hands, the warmth of her gentle bending going with them. The ticklish sensation receded and the dull ache returned to his hands, but not nearly as bad as it had been before. His attentiveness began to fade back, and he couldn't help but feeling bewildered as he reflected on what he had been thinking a few moments back. He shouldn't have let his mind loosen up like that. He opened his amber eyes slowly, blinking away his grogginess.

"I've been at it for just over an hour," Korra said quietly, not having moved at all from the end of the bed—had it really been an hour? It seemed only like minutes, "How do you feel?"

"Better," he looking her in the eye.

"I think after a few more sessions, you'll be released from here," she told him kindly, but sounding slightly sleepy, "Katara said that someone is being sent to come and talk to you about what you know about Amon. They should be here in half an hour or so. You should try and get some sleep in before then."

He nodded mutely.

"When that's done, I'll come back and we'll take a walk around," she said shuffling over to the side of the bed. The weight disappeared as she stood, "and when we come back, I'll start something new with you."

He watched her pick up her belongings from the table beside his bed.

"Korra?" he said as he watched her wrap clean bandages around his hands carefully.

"Mmm?" she asked him gently.

"…I trust you," he stated bluntly.

There was a pause and before he was really aware of what he was doing, his hand gently took hers. He ran his thumb over the back of her hand as he held it, brushing the knuckles, where he could feel one of her many scars resting on the surface of her skin.

"Where's this coming from?" she asked, mystified by his actions, and slightly concerned.

"I just wanted to let you know," he replied simply.

"You should know without me even saying that I trust you too, Mako."

He squeezed her hand slightly before he released it, allowing his own-bandaged hands to rest on his knees.

"You've been through a lot," she told him, "You need your rest."

"Mmm." He said, returning his bony form underneath the sheets. He closed his eyes slowly, sleepiness over coming him.

Her footsteps patted quietly against the floor and the door creaked open.

"I'll see you this afternoon," she said softly before she closed the door gently behind her.

* * *

><p>"Hey kid."<p>

The person who had just entered his room was early—extremely early, his internal clock told him; Mako still half asleep. Because of his interrogator's early entry, he hadn't managed to eat anything since that morning, he found himself extremely hungry, and was becoming more so by the minute.

"Hey Chief," he said smoothly, his hands resting behind his head, a small smile resting upon his handsome features.

"My word," came the familiar stern voice, "We're going to have to plump you up before you're allowed back on the beat!"

Mako found himself smirking, despite himself, "Yeah…I look quite the part of the street rat, don't I?"

"Can't argue with you on that one." Beifong nodded, a slight smirk curling her lips, "Katara wasn't exaggerating when she said you had a lot of beefing up to do."

Mako let out a small laugh at Lin's statement. He winced slightly at the slight pang in his ribs that came to them as a result. His bones still not quite healed completely.

"It seems that you've recovered quite a bit since I saw you last," Lin continued, making her way over to his hospital bed, "I don't know if anyone told you, but I was one of the ones that found you in the woods. You were extremely lucky; we almost thought that you were dead. We were quite worried for you."

Mako couldn't recall anything of the sort, having the scent of the fire lilies as his last clear memory, so he merely responded: "I'm sure."

"Korra worked very hard on keeping you alive when you were brought in. The irony of it all is that she didn't even realize that it was you!" Lin carried on, "I heard she was quite shocked when she found out—"

"Lin. I know why you're here," Mako interrupted, wanting to get the interrogation over with, "I'd let to get it over and done with if I may."

"Very well then," Beifong said thoughtfully before continuing, "Let's just skip the pleasantries. Okay, first question: Where is Amon's hideout located?"

The first question was the first that he could not answer. Mako sighed—it felt like it was going to be a long afternoon.

* * *

><p>Here's to hoping you have a wonderful holiday season!<p> 


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